Out of the Dark
by Shelbylou
Summary: He's been through so much in his short life. Can one family finally give him the things that he so desperately wants...love, childhood and a family. A/N This is an AU story where Tim was born in 1984 and it starts off in 1993.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is my entry for the White Elephant Exchange on NFA. A big thank you to dreamsweetmydear for her wonderful prompt that inspired this story.**_

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

He sat with his head resting on the cool window, watching as the snowflakes flurried past him like soft white petals of his past. In his mind, the snowflakes that drifted past the windows as they drove along, seemed to take a little bit of him with them. Eventually, they would melt away to nothing leaving him with less, than what he set out with…and that wasn't much. It wasn't that he was philosophical…no, this was a new beginning; a chance to finally escape the turbulent short life that he'd led. At the tender age of seven, he was bright as a shiny new penny and smart. Not just a clever boy, but truly gifted, though this never shone through because he was trodden down by a life of alcohol and violence by someone he loved. This past and all its terrors meant that the once bubbly, little boy was now withdrawn and barely spoke. He didn't push himself to excel and suffered terribly with a melancholic depression that made it damn near impossible for anyone to get near him emotionally. Right now, he just let other people take the lead and take him wherever they wanted him to go because after all, his past might be the past, but the lingering physical and emotional scars that he bore stayed with him and weighed down on his small shoulders.

"How are you doing Timothy?" He turned to the soft voice of the Social Worker that was taking him to his new temporary home. Truth be told, she was a warm and wonderful person but his trust in the human race had pretty much been ripped away from him and he was having a hard time finding it again. Amy was nice to him though, and she was the only person that he now spoke to because she had somehow broken through his walls and he found himself actually liking the woman.

"Um…I'm o…okay." He said shyly, his stammer betraying the nervousness that he felt.

"You sure? They're good people, Tim. You know, they have a little girl round about your age. I think there's only a couple of months between the two of you, so you'll have someone your own age to talk to."

"I d…d…don't want t…t…to."

"You don't want to? Oh Tim. Come on honey, I know she can't replace your sister, but there's no harm in you having a friend. It's hard for you, I get that but at least try. For me?"

Tim nodded gently, his soft ashy blond hair, bouncing slightly. She smiled softly at the sight and hoped that the family he was going to be with for the time being, would get his hair cut because it was starting to get in his eyes. That was another thing that damn near broke her heart. This little boy's eyes were large and the most amazing green she had ever seen; it was just a shame that they had been deadened by the tragedy that he'd bore witness to and the hell he'd had to live through since that horrible day, at the hands of his father.

"M…may…be."

"Tim, you need to be able to trust people. It's hard, I know that but please, they are taking you into their home and they are willing to give you something that you never had before."

This piqued his interest…what was it that he'd never had before? "W…What?"

"A childhood. Let them break through your walls, Tim. Just for a little while. You can be wary, that's to be expected, but don't lock them out completely."  
>Amy's advice was sound and he sighed heavily as he rested his head back against the window. Once again, Tim's defenses had quickly risen and he'd shut down completely. She shook her head and pulled up outside a house with a beautifully crafted porch which led to a front door that had warm light streaming through the windows. Tim watched<br>the snow as it glinted in the light and settled on the front yard.

"What if….W…w…wh…"

"Tim. Look at me." Amy said softly and reached over to cup the child's chin. "They will like you. They are a warm, loving family that has offered to take you into their home. They know about some of your background and don't cast any kind of aspersions on that." She knew it was okay to use the larger words because Tim understood them. His brilliance had been trampled down to the point where he was afraid to excel and by using the terminology that she did, she hoped that he would once again push himself to excel.

"I…I Kn…know. I'm s…scared."

Those eyes. They were so full of an innocent hope that broke her heart every time she looked deeply into them. It was a rare occurrence to see this though and she was reminded of the other occasions where she had looked into them and saw nothing but raw, agonizing emotional pain that threatened to rip this little boy apart.

"Don't be honey. Trust me. You've got to give them a chance otherwise you will have to go back to the home and I know you didn't like it there."

"N…No." His eyes filled with tears at the thought of going back to that horrible, impersonal place and Amy felt his pain. She'd been in the system herself, but had been lucky enough to find a family that loved her and adopted her.

"Come on sweetheart. Let's go meet them at least." She smiled as he wiped away the tears with the back of his hand and picked up the small hat on his lap. He paused momentarily before putting in on and brushing the soft curls out of his eyes. Amy chuckled lightly and shook her head. "Oh, Tim. You need a haircut."  
>He nodded and moved to open the car door.<p>

"You'll be okay, Timmy. I promise you that."

"Yeah." He answered softly and opened the door before stepping out. With a sigh, she cut the engine and got out before going to the trunk and pulling out Tim's bag. It wasn't a lot, just one large duffle full of the clothes that he owned and a couple of books. His family hadn't been poor, the boy just simply didn't seem to own that much. No toys, no art supplies…hell, even the books were older than she would imagined a seven year old owning. Despite that, she'd seen him reading The Hobbit on numerous occasions and smiled at the gift that she'd slipped in there.

"Okay, Tim. Let's go meet your new family." She walked up to him and held out her hand. It was a relief when he took it and shyly grasped on as they walked up the path. "Remember this sweetie, they are a good family, but if you want to talk to me or you want me to come visit, then you have my phone number, okay?"

"Okay." Tim agreed knowing that she was trying to put him at ease.

With a small supportive smile, she reached out and knocked on the door. Tim found himself getting closer and closer to her and it was a surprise when she felt his small body pressed up against leg as if he was trying to hide away from whatever was behind the door. Just as she started to open her mouth to sooth the little boy, a woman with flame red hair and a beautifully warm face opened the door.

"Amy, hello." She greeted happily before crouching down to Tim. "And you must be Timothy. I'm Shannon and I'm going to be your foster Mom for a while. Do you want to come in?"

Tim shook his head and tried to shy away from the stranger in front of him. Despite her kindness, he was wary and unsure as to how to respond to her.

"Tim, come on honey. Shannon is being nice, so be a good boy for her okay?"

"Shan…" A youngish gentlemen in his mid 30's came up to the front door wiping his hands on an old towel. Tim noticed the sawdust in his hair and cocked his head with interest. "Oh, hey Amy. Forgot you were comin'"

"You know, I've reminded him like three times today Tim. He still forgets!" Shannon said slightly more loudly and Tim couldn't help but smile as she winked at him.

"I was busy…So, you must be…Tommy?"

Tim frowned slightly and shook his head but when Shannon reached over and swatted the man on the leg with a shake of her head, he knew he'd been kidding. "N...no S…sir."

"Huh. Tony? Tobias?"

"Jethro! Play nice. You know what this sweet boy's name is." Shannon chuckled out before chucking Tim under the chin and standing up.

"I do. So you're Tim."

"Y…yes s…sir." Tim replied shakily and clasped at Amy's hand tighter as he tried to move behind her. He still wasn't fully comfortable with men, and this man standing in front of him looked kind of scary.

"Hey, I don't bite." The man knelt down like Shannon and held out his hand. "I'm Jethro. We have a little girl about your age but she's out at a friend's house at the moment. She'll be back in about an hour."

Tim peeked round from behind Amy's legs and cautiously held out his right hand to shake Jethro's hand. "Alright, how about we go inside and we get some lunch? You stayin' Ames?"

Amy nodded as they were ushered inside and grinned. "Sure am, Gibbs. I need to go through some stuff afterwards with you and Shannon told me you were grilling steak. Now good steak is not something I'm going to turn down."

Gibbs? Why did Amy call him Gibbs? Tim wondered and then remembered that it was this family's surname. He was torn out of his thoughts by Gibbs' gruff laugh and felt slightly soothed by the broad smile that accompanied it.

"She did huh? Guess my legendary steak grill is coming outta retirement." Shannon gently slapped his shoulder and shook her head before bending down to help Tim out of his coat.

"Outta retirement my foot. I swear, Tim...may I call you Tim?" She waited patiently for Tim to nod as she unbuttoned the last button on his coat. To Amy's surprise, Tim let her, though he didn't want to let go of her hand when Shannon pushed the coat down. "It's okay Sweetie, you can hold Amy's hand, but I need to get your coat off, okay?"  
>Tim reluctantly let go of Amy's hand and felt the jacket slip off. Once it was off though, he went straight back to holding it. "Y..you w…were t…alking about the G…grill."<p>

"Ahh yes, I was, wasn't I? Well, I swear he gets that thing going every other night. He's a caveman and loves his meat…especially steak." She added with a whisper and smoothed the soft sandy curls as she removed his hat. "You want to know how he makes it?"

The little boy's brow furrowed with confusion and Amy could see the start of an answer forming on his lips. She smiled with encouragement and giggled when he blushed. "Go on, honey."

"G…grill?"

Shannon couldn't help but laugh and nodded. "Yeah, just not outside in this weather. He uses the fireplace, I tell you it's a pain to clean but the steak is good. Hey, you like hot chocolate?"

"Um…y...yes k…kinda."

"Kind of? Well, you'll like mine if you kind of like it, sweetie. It's made with real chocolate. What do you say, indulge with me?"

"Don't' make me any of that cr…stuff, Shan. I want…."

"Black coffee, super strength spoon stands up on own coffee. I know, Gibbs."

"Just as long as you do." Gibbs answered with a smile and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm gonna go clean up."

"Don't be long…" Shannon called after him and led the way into the kitchen. "so, Amy you want some indulgent heaven in a cup?"

"I could kiss you right about now." Amy chuckled out as she helped Tim climb up on one of the breakfast stools.

"Eww…" Tim's little hand flew up to his mouth and they couldn't help but cringe at the shocked tears that started to fall. "S..sorry. I'm s...sorry…"

"What for? Tim look at me!" Shannon sat down in the chair next to Tim and pulled him into her lap. "What are you sorry for Sweetie? You've done nothing wrong."

"Who's apologizing? Sign of weakness." Gibbs said as he entered the kitchen in a fresh t-shirt and sweatpants. "Ok, who upset the kid?" His glare was one that could cut glass  
>as he looked at Amy and Shannon.<p>

"N..no one. I'm n…not al…allowed t…t…t…" Tim fell into a fresh wave of tears and felt himself being pulled tightly against Shannon as she rocked him gently and whispered soft platitudes to calm him down. Gibbs frowned and signaled for Amy to follow him into the living room. Once there, he bent down in front of the fire and laid out the grill ready to be used.

"What's goin' on?"

Amy sighed heavily and shook her head. "Nothing. He's not a bad kid Gibbs but he needs help with his confidence. You remember, I told you his dad is an alcoholic who wants nothing to do with him? Well, that's especially true since the accident."

"Accident?" Gibbs asked gently and stood up so he could give her his full attention.

"I think it would be better if I spoke to you both on this. He's had problems and has been through a lot." Her attention was diverted by the sound of soft giggling coming from the kitchen. "He's taken to Shannon well."

"Who doesn't?" Gibbs replied affectionately. "I'll speak to her later when the kid's in bed. We've set him up next to Kelly's room."

Amy nodded her approval. "Sounds perfect. Okay, you know he lost his mom and sister?"

"Yeah. Poor kid. What happened? We weren't told any specifics." He asked sympathetically. They'd both been told that much, but Tim had been struggling in the state children's home and was bullied mercilessly. That had become the topic of conversation and the clincher for them both had been when Amy told then that he'd been beaten by the boy that he shared a room with.

"His father's ex Navy and got dishonorably discharged for misconduct and insubordination…repeat offender." She replied before the ex-marine standing in front of her could question. "It wasn't pretty. Anyway, he took a nosedive and hit the bottle. One night he decided he wanted to go out for a drive and dragged Tim's mother to the car before locking her in to get the kids. He grabbed the gun out of the safe and held them all hostage for hours before passing out behind the wheel and colliding head on with the oncoming traffic. He ploughed right into the next lane."

Gibbs hissed and stood there with narrowed eyes. "Son of a…what happened then?"

"Tim's mom had a broken neck and was pronounced at the scene. She went straight to the morgue. Sarah…bless her. She was younger than Tim by a couple of years, well she wasn't wearing her seatbelt and suffered internal injuries. They said she had a broken ribs which punctured her lung. Sarah died en route."

More giggling from the kitchen tore through their deeply tormented conversation and Gibbs couldn't help but smile. "He sounds happy in there. I'm willing to be they're making that hot chocolate."

"A bit of happiness won't do him any harm." Amy admitted ruefully. "For 5 years, he's had to put up with his father's alcoholism and abuse. He's smart, Gibbs. Very smart, but he's never really been allowed to reach his potential because he's been browbeaten. I don't know why, but there are a few things he frightened of. We've never been able to get the reasons out of him, but they scare the living daylights out of him."

"What happened to Tim?" Gibbs asked softly, but she could hear the underlying anger in his voice.

"He wore his seatbelt and said he was trying to get Sarah's on her when they crashed. He broke his wrist and dislocated his shoulder. The concussion was mild thankfully, but he was alone in the hospital because his father signed himself out AMA. He left that boy there to suffer by himself and after a couple of days Tim's doctor called us in. I was assigned the case and became his lifeline. It took me a while to gain his trust, but I was there through his treatment and tried to make it easier on him in the home."

"But…"

"But, it wasn't enough and the recovery wasn't easy. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized that in his short life, he'd suffered more than he'd actually lived. And the bad time he's had at the home certainly hasn't helped. He's never had a childhood Gibbs and doesn't act like a normal little boy. He scared to do anything and needs to be given the chance to finally be what he is."

Gibbs frowned and cocked his head slightly. "Which is?"

"A little boy. A little boy who can be given the chance to trust the adults in his life again; to take care of him and be there for him through everything. He needs a childhood and needs to do things that children do. He needs to be able to reach his potential academically and be supported. You and Shannon can do that and the fact that you have Kelly will help no end." Amy knew this couple from the fact that they had fostered short term children before for her. Each child had been made to feel welcome and had come out of the situation so much better than they had gone into it and when then were finally adopted, they had gone on to lead happy, fulfilling lives.

"We'll try our hardest, Ames. I promise you that. This isn't a short term thing." Gibbs stated and Amy found herself answering his rhetorical question anyway.

"No. It's not. I asked you because…well, I just thought you might give him a good home and eventually…"

"Adopt him." He filled in and smiled when she blushed slightly. "It's okay you know. I can't make that promise, but we'll make sure he's safe while he's here."

Amy smiled at him and nodded. "That's something I can be sure of. Just look after my boy, okay? That's all I ask."

A knock at the door tore their attention away from the conversation at hand and Gibbs moved to go answer it. On his way, he stopped and laid his hand on the Social worker's shoulder. "He'll be alright with us, Ames. You come visit whenever you want because I can tell that he's gotten under your skin more than the others."

Amy felt the tears pool in her amber brown eyes and reached up to briefly place her hand over his. "Thank you." She whispered before he smiled and walked to the door. She sucked in a deep breath and wiped at her eyes before making her way into the kitchen. What she saw when she walked in made her heart leap with joy, because for the first time since meeting Tim, he looked happy.

"Ok, now we just need to whisk the milk into the melted chocolate. If I pour it in, do you want to whisk?" Shannon asked Tim as he knelt on the stool. Amy couldn't help but place her hand over her heart as it leapt slightly at what she was watching.

"Can I? I mean, is that okay?" Excitement? Tim sounded excited! That's not something Amy had ever heard from him. And what's more, he wasn't stuttering! She stepped further into the room and grinned broadly.

"You look like you're having fun."

"Yup. Hey look, Shannon let me help." Shannon smiled warmly at Tim and nodded, her pretty red curls bouncing slightly with the movement.

"Hey, mister. If you thought I was going to do this by myself then you were so wrong." He grinned back at her and she shook her head. "Now that's a smile the girls will go crazy for. With those eyes and that smile…."

"He's handsome alright. Amy smiled and saw the familiar blush creep up the boy's neck and into his face. "Aww, now that's just cute."

"Amy…" Tim whined and ducked his head down so he was looking at the floor.

She chuckled slightly and gently placed her finger under his chin to raise his head. "None of that young man. You need to learn to take a compliment."

Tim shrugged and leaned slightly to the let when a young girl round about his age ran into the kitchen. "Mommy!"

"Hey angel. You have fun with Ducky?" Shannon bent down and kissed the red haired girl on the forehead tenderly.

"Yuh huh. He took me and Granny Victoria to the park and we fed the ducks and we played and we had a picnic. He told me some of his stories and then we came home to meet Timmy." She turned towards Amy and Tim and grinned.

"Amy!" She hurtled forward and threw her arms around the social worker. "You're here!"

"Hey Kelly. Well don't you look pretty today. So, Ducky took you out."

"Yep. He's talking to Daddy in the living room…" Kelly turned towards Tim and he couldn't help but notice how pretty and friendly she was. "Tim?"

"Um..y…yeah." He answered shyly and ducked his head once more. Kelly giggled and folded her arms.

"Oh no. You're not allowed to be shy. Mommy, have you showed him his room?" She asked her mother.

"No honey, we were making hot chocolate. You want some?"

"Yes please. Then I can show Tim his room." Kelly turned back to Tim. "You're next to me and we'll have loads of fun. I went with Daddy yesterday to pick out some toys for you so you wouldn't feel left out and we made up your bed and we…."

"Woah there, Miss Kelly. Let the boy breathe." Gibbs chuckled as he walked in the kitchen. "Hey Tim. There enough of that for me?"

"You want…um yes."

"Don't you listen to him. He wants coffee and Ducky in there will have earl grey. So Tim, come here and help me whisk this in."

Amy watched as Tim grabbed the whisk and went about his task. It was wonderful to see and she knew, that without a doubt she'd made the right choice in family for her boy. She could only hope that he would capture their hearts as much as he had hers, and eventually they would adopt him


	2. Chapter 2

**I just want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews and for adding this story to your alerts and favorites. You guys truly are the best. I've replied to all the reviews bar one, so i'm doing it here.**

**Gunners dream...Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. It's complete, so i'll be posting one chapter a day.**

**Hugs xx**

Chapter 2

Tim had been with them for a month and had been fitting in pretty well. His bond with Kelly had been strong from day one and the two of them were close; something that had come as a surprise to them all. Gibbs watched from the porch as they both worked together building a snowman and couldn't help but smile when Kelly bombarded her foster brother with small snowballs. Tim ducked a couple, but one caught the back of his head and slid down his neck into his coat.

"Arghh…that's freezing." The boyish voice chuckled. "I'm so gonna get you back for that!"

"Catch me if you can, Timmy." Kelly trilled back. Gibbs laughed loudly when Tim bent down and scooped up a huge handful of snow, but noticed how softly packed it actually was and knew that it wouldn't hurt his girl. He didn't flinch when he felt warm arms wrap around his neck and leaned into the lips nuzzling his ear.

"They're having fun." Shannon whispered softly.

"Yeah. It's good to see him so relaxed."

Shannon sighed and leaned her chin on her husband's shoulder. "Yes it is. I can't believe he's the same boy that woke up screaming last night."

Gibbs remembered the shrill shriek that haunted the house the night before and nodded. "I know. He say what it was about?"

"No. I went in and managed to wake him up, but he just clung on and cried…." She went quiet for a moment and squeezed Gibbs tightly. "I'm getting attached, Gibbs."

With a smile, he leaned back and kissed her cheek. "Me too Shan. They've been out here a while. How about we bring them in and get them warmed up?"

"Good idea. You call em in, I'll get the fire going. Hey, you know we'll have to get him a warmer coat right? Talk to him. Try and get him to agree to going to the mall this afternoon."

Gibbs sighed heavily and rubbed his hand across his face. "I've tried. He doesn't wanna get rid of the one he's got. I think his mom bought it for him."

"I know honey, but it's too cold for him to be wearing that right now. Talk to him, okay?" Shannon kissed his cheek and made her way back inside. With a small smile, Gibbs whistled loudly and watched as his two kids made their way over. He couldn't help but wonder when he'd started thinking that way about Tim and found himself liking the idea of him being one of his kids.

"Aww Daddy. Do we have to?" Kelly whined and Gibbs couldn't help but smile when Tim seemed torn between mirroring her sentiment and obeying him.

"Yeah, you do. Kelly, go on inside and help your mom, okay?"

"Why?" She asked and narrowed her blue eyes slightly. "Whatcha gonna do, Daddy?"

"Nothing for you to worry about. Now go on in." Kelly bounded inside leaving Tim standing there shivering slightly as the wind picked up around him. Gibbs noticed the way he shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head.

"You need a new coat, son."

"I…I'm O..okay." Tim's shivering made it sound as though the stammer that they'd finally managed to get rid of was back.

"Yeah? I don't think so. Listen, I know your mom got you that jacket, and you can wear it when it gets warmer. Shannon wants us all to go shopping this afternoon and wants to treat you, so let her. For me?"

Tim nodded his head and Gibbs could tell that he'd hit the mark because there was no way that boy was going to disappoint the woman he'd built such a good bond with.

"Atta boy. Come on, let's get you warmed up and ready for a fun filled day of shopping. You like going to the mall?" Gibbs asked happily and held the door open for the young boy to enter.

"I've never been." Tim answered earnestly, earning him a confused glare.

"Never?"

"Mom used to go and get all of our stuff and Dad never liked us going with her. Don't know why." Tim's honest answer was muffled as he pulled Gibbs' sweatshirt over his head. It was way too big for him, but given the temperature, it had provided him with that extra layer of warmth that he needed.

"Huh. Go on and tell Shannon that I'm taking you all out this afternoon. Tell her to put her flats on because the malls a big place…" he paused for a moment and made up his mind to take them all out to dinner afterwards. "Hey, you like Chinese?"

Tim grinned broadly and nodded his head. "It's my favorite!"

"That's good to know. Tell the women that we're gonna eat too. I'll make the reservation." He watched with a light heart as Tim bounded into the kitchen to tell them what was going on. It was strange to see such a change in the boy in a short space of time, but truth be told, he wasn't really that tough a nut to crack…all that was left, was to get him to open up more.

***NCIS***

The shopping trip had been successful and both Tim and Kelly had ended up with a whole new wardrobe including new thick winter coats. It was mid December and even though Christmas was coming up, Shannon and Gibbs knew that every dollar had been well spent after seeing the glee on the kids faces. Now, they were all hungry and making their way to the Chinese restaurant that had been booked.

"Ok, here we are." Gibbs announced and opened the door for his family to go in. He followed them and made his way to the concierge to announce their reservation. "Reservation for Gibbs."

The concierge looked up and gave him a smile. "Yes sir, I have your reservation ready now. If you would like to follow me, I'll show you to your table."  
>Tim couldn't help but look around in wonder at the restaurant. Sure, he'd had Chinese food before, but that had only been take away when his mom had been too ill to cook…Ill? That's a barefaced lie. She hadn't been ill and he'd seen the bruises that she'd tried to cover up time and time again. He felt a warm, gently hand on his back and turned to see Shannon standing over him with a frown.<p>

"What's wrong Sweetie?"

Tim shook himself out of his thoughts and offered her a small smile. "Nothing. It's just pretty. I've never been to places like this before."

"First time for everything, Tim." Gibbs grinned and held out his hand. To his relief, Tim took it and he guided his boy over to the table. "Okay kids, what do you want to drink?"

"Cokey cola please daddy." Kelly sang out making them laugh.

"Tim?"

"um…diet coke please." Gibbs cocked his head at the request and frowned.

"Diet coke?"

"I don't like normal coke. It's too sweet." Tim blushed and offered a rueful smile. Shannon couldn't help but reach over and ruffle the boy's soft curls.

"That's okay sweetie. At least your teeth won't rot." She fixed Kelly with an innocent glare and was met with a glare that could rival her husbands. "Don't you look at me like that young lady. You are so brushing your teeth when we get in."

"I brush before bed." Came the small reply and Gibbs huffed out a snort of laughter.

"No you don't. Tim does, you don't. That reminds me, hey…" He nudged Tim with his elbow and waited for him to look at him. "I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. How about you come with me and we'll see about getting that mop tidied up."

Tim's nose wrinkled and he shook his head. "I don't want it really short. My dad always got it cut short and I hated it."

"Just have it tidied up then, I don't mind the curls." He felt Gibbs ruffle his hair and smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Alright then. How about soup for starters?" Everyone agreed and Gibbs ordered with the waitress that had just come on over. She grinned at the kids and handed them both over a small pad with some crayons.

"And for main?"

"I'll have the beef and broccoli in black bean sauce with egg friend rice. Shan?" Gibbs replied and felt his stomach rumble at the thought of his favorite dish.

"Sweet and sour chicken with boiled rice please." Kelly wanted the same as her mother but with fried rice like her dad. When it got to Tim, Gibbs could see the uncertainty that resided in his eyes.

"Tim, what's wrong? You know what you want?"

Tim nodded but the familiar flush that pinked his cheeks had them all confused. "Well?"

"Can I have sweet and sour without the pineapple…I'm…um…I'm allergic." The last bit was whispered, and they could tell that the boy was deeply upset at his food allergy. Gibbs simply nodded and made a point of telling the waitress that Tim's wasn't to have pineapple in it because of his allergies.

"Rice or noodles." The waitress asked him and waited patiently for Tim to make up his mind. He soon chose boiled rice and settled back to soak up the ambience of the restaurant. It wasn't long until the drinks arrived and Tim and Kelly slurped happily on their drink of choice whilst Shannon and Gibbs chatted happily. It was nice and they actually felt like a complete family as they sat there enjoying themselves.

They had soon polished off the soup and the main course had just been put in front of them when they heard a loud crash and a string of cuss words that would have made a sailor blush. When Gibbs looked over, he felt a small, trembling body push into his side and looked down to see Tim clinging onto him for dear life.

"Hey! What's wrong?" he asked and wrapped his arm around the boy's small shoulders. "It's okay."

"Well lookey who it is. Hello Timothy. Nothing to say to your old man?" Gibbs' eyes narrowed at the inebriated figure in front of him and he couldn't help but tighten his grip on the boy even more. "Get your dirty hands off of my son."

"Mr McGee, you waived your rights the moment you deserted him. I suggest you get back to whatever it was you were doing and let us enjoy our time together as a family." Shannon responded coldly and pulled Kelly over so that the little girl sat away from the drunk man.

"A family? Come on Timmy, you had a family and you threw it away. It's all your fault you know. I wouldn't have crashed if you hadn't been messing about with the seatbelt."

Tim whimpered slightly and seemed to be trying to melt into Gibbs. In such a short space of time, the ex-marine had become his protector and his father and now, here Tim was sitting there trying to get away from the one man that threatened to destroy everything once again.

"I didn't. you were drunk and you crashed and you killed them and you put me in the hospital and you…." Tim's sentence was panicked and came out in one long fearful tirade. He was cut short by a hand roughly yanking him away from Gibbs.

"I killed them? What do you mean I killed them? You have no idea do you, boy? I've been through hell and back the past couple of months and all you can do is blame me for them dying! Come here you little punk." Tim was pulled away from his father just before a fist flew past his face and connected with Gibbs' head.

"Damn it! Why the hell are you here?"

"What's it got to do with you?" Callum McGee bellowed. "I'll tell you something though, I will be taking my son with me."

"You don't have any right to do that so how about you just walk away now." Gibbs growled and set Tim down at the other side of him. Tim couldn't help but flinch at how calm his foster father's voice was and felt a wave of security and love wash over him.

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" Callum growled menacingly and snarled.

"I'm his foster father and you, don't have the right to take him. You left him injured, scared and alone in the hospital and killed your wife and daughter because you held them all hostage and crashed your car when you were drunk. Walk. Away. Now!"

Callum started to move forward but was stopped by strong arms wrapping around his bicep. "What the hell! He's kidnapped my son! He's the one you should be taking away!" Gibbs shook his head and looked into the face of his boss and mentor.

"Hey Mike. Good to see you."

"Probie. This guy causing you problems?" Mike asked calmly as he slapped a pair of handcuffs on Callum.

"He's disturbing a nice family meal, Boss and upsetting my kids."

"Your kids?...YOUR KIDS!" Callum bellowed. "Last time I looked, that useless sack of crap was my son, not yours….you know what, you're welcome to him. Hope you have a crappy life Timothy, because you don't deserve anything better. He sneered at the table and shook his head at the meals. "Careful, Tim. You never know what might be in that food! you know what happened with pineapple last time."

Mike pulled him away and looked over at where Tim was huddled into the corner of the booth sobbing silently. His heart damn near broke at the sight of the small boy's body shaking with sobs as he tried desperately to rein in his emotions. "Hey, Probie's son." He called softly. "I'll come by later and read you that book Ames gave you."

Tim looked up and nodded before reaching over to grab the napkin so that he could wipe his nose. "Th…thanks."

"Anytime kid. Kell, you too okay?" Watery blue eyes raised up to look at him and he could see how much this scene had upset the strong young girl. She nodded and offered a small smile before looking at Callum and ducking her head back down. "Now see, you've gone and upset the babies and that just really pisses me off." Mike hissed in Callum's ear before pulling him and starting to make his way out of the restaurant. With one last parting shot, he turned slightly so he could shout over to Gibbs and Shannon.

"I'll be round later, Probie. Shan, get that coffee brewed nice and strong."

"I know how you like it, Mike. See you later." She turned back to her family and watched as Gibbs tried to comfort the near catatonic boy sitting next to him. It was bizarre, he'd gone from the silent tears at first, to looking like someone in shock, but she knew that her husband would be the right person to pull him out and watched as he pulled Tim into his lap and gently rubbed the boys back.

"Hey, Timmy it's going to be okay. We won't let him get to you." Gibbs soothed. Tim's shoulders shuddered once as he sat there and then started to sob uncontrollably.

"I d..didn't k..kill them. H..he did. It wa….wasn't my fault." Tim stammered out through the gut wrenching sobs that all of a sudden started when Gibbs talked to him.

"We know, and we know that he's just a mean, bitter man that will say anything to hurt you. Come on, let's eat and then we'll go home and you can put away all your new stuff." Gibbs said and waited for Tim to relinquish the death grip on him that he'd had when he sobbed. Tim nodded into his shoulder and climbed off to sit in front of his food. That's all he did though, and he sat there for a few minutes holding his fork before Shannon reached over and placed her hand on his wrist.

"Tim, you need to eat, sweetie. Please, just a little bit." Tim nodded again and she let go and watched as he took the first tentative bite of his food. "Good boy. So, what do you kids think about going to go visit Jackson this weekend?" She asked and scooped a bit of the chicken into her mouth.

"Grampa's? We can?"

"Wouldn't ask if we didn't mean it." Gibbs said through a mouthful of food and chuckled when Kelly started bouncing in her chair.

"Yay! We're going to Grampa's Timmy. You 'member Grampa?"

Tim couldn't help but grin and remembered the weekend when Jack came down to stay. The older Gibbs man had taken a liking to the boy and told him that he was to call him Grampa no matter what. That weekend was fun, and Tim discovered his love of having someone reading to him right before he went to bed; something that he'd never experienced before.

"I remember, Kell. Is it snowing up there?" Tim asked as he scooped up a piece of chicken on his fork. "Hey, ja…Granpa said we can help him in the store? Can we?"

Gibbs and Shannon relaxed slightly at the sound of their excited children and nodded. "You can. I'm sure he'll like that."

"Co…" Tim coughed once and raised his small hand up to his lips. "Cool. Um…is this the right one?"

"Right what honey?" Shannon asked and looked at him with confusion.

"Foo…Need…." Tim's breath hitched in his throat as the tissues swelled up leaving him heaving for the precious breath that he needed. "Ne…"

"Jethro!" Shannon wailed and stood up just in time to catch Tim as he pitched off the chair. As he fell, she could see hives starting to form on his swollen face and knew right then, what the problem was. "Shit! Kelly, honey. Pass me my handbag." She felt the soft leather bag nudge her blindly stretched out hand and tossed it to her husband. "Epipen."

"Epipen? How…?" Gibbs asked as he rifled through the bag and found what he was looking for. He handed it over and watched Shannon expertly administer the medication.

"Ames told me he had allergies and gave them to me. She said he was allergic to bee stings, but not pineapple. Damn it! Come on Tim…breathe!"

Tim coughed a couple of times and groaned as the soreness in his throat made itself known. With a silent prayer of thanks, she lifted him up and cradled him as she kept up her litany of 'that's it' and 'good boy, just breath, that's it'.

"Ma'am." Shannon looked up and saw two paramedics standing by the side of her ready to deal with Tim.

"You got here quick." She replied and let them take Tim to treat him.

"We got the call about some drunk guy abusing a family and the father being hit. They were worried about the kids, so called an ambulance. Apparently one of them was in shock. The cops were talking to some guy outside when we came in." Gibbs stretched slightly to see who and saw Mike standing there talking to the cops. Callum was handcuffed and being held between the two uniformed officers as they spoke. That wasn't everything though, there was something poking out of Callum's jacket….

"Hey. You alright." Shannon's soft voice dragged him away from the scene and he shook his head.

"How is he?"

"He's breathing but we need to get him to Bethesda. We don't know whether he's biphasic or not and now we have the complications of the medication he's been given." One of the medics answered as he picked Tim up and placed him on the gurney that they'd bought with him.

"What complications?" Gibbs asked as he pulled out his phone.

"His temp is high and his BP is low. His throat is still swollen and the hives don't seem to be disappearing. We've given him some anti histamines, but he needs a doctor."

"Thanks…" He said to the paramedic, but turned away when Mike answered his phone. "Boss, it's Gibbs….yeah. Need you to take a look in McGee's pockets…yeah, right there. You see it?" he watched as Mike pulled out a small bottle and examined it.

_"It's just a bottle of juice, probie."_

Gibbs huffed out a breath and shook his head. "Mike! What kind of juice?"

Gibbs could see Mikes rugged face frown at his sharp tone and watched as his boss put the phone down and talked to the cops briefly before bringing it over. "Damn it!...Tim? what the hell's going on?"

"He's had a reaction to something in his dinner, but we ordered without pineapple so it should have been okay. That the juice?"

"Pineapple? He's allergic to Pineapple?" Mike ran his hand through his hair and felt the anger flare at the piece of news he'd just been given. He handed over the bottle and watched as the anger filtered through Gibbs' blue eyes.

"He poured it in. Damn it! The son of a bitch must have poured some in during the argument."

Shannon stood up straight from where she was gently stroking Tim's forehead and frowned. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he's a bitter, twisted bastard…"

"Daddy?" Kelly whimpered and tried to shy away from Gibbs' anger. "Don't be mad. Please."

Gibbs felt his gut clench and pulled Kelly into his arms. "I'm sorry baby. Daddy's sorry. Mike, I need you to take Kelly and Shannon with you. I'm going to go in the bus with Tim to make sure he's okay."

Mike nodded and picked up the bags that the family had deposited on the floor before their meal. "See you at the hospital, Probie."

"Yeah." Gibbs watched as they left before turning back to Tim and bending down to kiss his forehead. His heart wrenched at the heat that rolled off of his boy. "Is that normal?"

"What's that sir?" The medic glanced at him briefly so Gibbs knew he was giving him his full attention.

"The fever. Is it normal." He re-iterated and struggled to keep the pang of annoyance out of his tone.

"Yes sir. A lot of people suffering from anaphylaxis get it. He'll be right as rain tomorrow. Just tired and grouchy."

With a nod, he waited whilst they secured Tim down with the final straps and wheeled him out of the restaurant. The fact that Tim had nearly been killed by his father twisted in his gut and made him feel more protective over the small child that had captured their hearts over the past month.


	3. Chapter 3

"Shannon." Amy couldn't help but hug the distraught woman sitting in the waiting room once she'd arrived. Gibbs had walked in a moment before after going for coffee and wasn't surprised when he'd bumped into the Social Worker in the hall. After a sullen shake of his head, he'd led her into the waiting room where Amy had gone straight to Shannon. "Any news?"

"None. They…Ames, they won't tell us anything. They said we're not listed as his proxies, but I know we are. They must have it wrong."

"What? You are! I filed the paperwork myself and made doubly sure that it was correct because of Tim's allergies and possible asthma. It's got to be a computer glitch. Let me go and talk to them." She stood up and left the room to go and talk to the nurses so she could figure out the error that had been made. It was the one thing that she'd been damn sure to do when Tim entered the Gibbs' lives, because there was no way in hell that the sweet little boy that she'd grown to love was ever going to be alone again; especially when he was hurt and needed them the most.

"Here honey." Gibbs handed Shannon the coffee that he'd bought for her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Mike had taken Kelly home with him as soon as he'd arrived, so right now it was just the two of them waiting on news.

"Why, Gibbs." Shannon sobbed. "Why do that to your child?"

"I don't know baby. I just don't know. He's with us now though, and that's all that matters." They sat in silence for a moment before Gibbs finally asked the question that had been playing on his mind since arriving. "Shan, I don't want him going back to that bastard and I sure as hell don't want him to go back into fostercare…."

"What?" she sat up and looked into the gorgeous eyes that she'd fallen in love with all those years ago. They were the same eyes then as they were now and, sure, there were a few more lines and the face was older than the 18 year old face on the train station platform, but they were the same. They were safe, familiar, loving, and comforting.

"I want us to adopt him, Shan. What do you say?" Gibbs looked at her with hope and prayed that she'd agree. If not, he'd still argue the point until she finally said yes because there was no way in hell, that they boy would be sent back to a life of misery and pain. But he knew the love of his life well enough to know she'd be the last one to deny this little boy a new life.

"It's only been a month. What if…." Shannon cut herself off when she realized what she was about to say. Even if Callum McGee wanted that boy back, there was no way in hell he was going to get him after this little stunt.

"He tried to kill him. He won't cause us any problems. Hey, Mike had the lab analyze the food. There was a high trace of pineapple juice in the food, but none of the fruit. He poured it on there knowing that Tim was deathly allergic."

"He tried to kill his son. That's just inhuman. Why? Why do that to your child? You're supposed to love and cherish them, not hurt them." She sobbed and felt herself being pulled down so that her head rested on his shoulder. Gibbs rubbed her back gently and couldn't help the runaway thought that ran through his head. He took a chance and decided to take the plunge.

"Ours now. Shan? Come on, please?"

"I'd like nothing more, Gibbs." She muttered and reached her arm over so that her hand rested just over his heart. Amy walked in at that moment with a face like thunder, but grinned when she saw them.

"It's all been sorted out. I had to do battle with Atilla first though, but she made a call to Admin and got them to update his records. You're both down as his medical proxies as well as Ducky."

"Ducky?" Gibbs questioned and shook his head. How the hell did she know?

"Sure. He's Kelly's so I thought you might want the same for Tim. The doc just came out and said you can go in and see him now. Don't be alarmed though, he said they've got him hooked up to a few things and he's on oxygen because he's still wheezy. He did wake up and ask after you both though." She added with a smile.

"He did? Oh the sweet boy." Shannon replied and stood up. "Ames, how do we go about adopting him?"

"Adop….Really? Already? Wow! That's fantastic news. I can get the paperwork for you to fill in together first thing. His dad tried to rescind the order for fostering and wanted him back, but after today's little show and tell, there's no way a court would allow that. You sure you really want that? It's only been a month."

"We do." Gibbs replied and watched as Amy's eyes filled with tears. "Come on Ames, don't okay? You can come and see him anytime. The kid loves you, so why would we ever stop your visits? We haven't forgotten that you're the first adult Tim allowed himself to trust since the accident. You've been a lifeline for him and no one is going to take that bond away from either of you."

"They're tears of joy Gibbs. I'm just so damn happy." Gibbs grinned at her and moved to pull her into a hug with him and Shannon.

"Sort the paperwork. Come round tomorrow for dinner and we'll talk then. Right now, I wanna see my boy."

Shannon and Amy laughed as they were led out of the room to see Tim. It was as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders and the fact that Tim would now be safe and sound with a wonderful family behind him, made their hearts soar. Amy thought back to the first time that she had met Tim and mentally compared the differences in him. Right now, for the first time in months, he was happy and secure in the knowledge that he had people there that loved him.

***NCIS***

Tim woke up feeling itchy, hot and so exhausted that he felt as though he could sleep for a year. It reminded him of the time when he woke up after the accident and he couldn't help the little feeling of panic that shot through him. His breath hitched slightly as the steadily rising tempo of the heart monitor fed his panic.

"Tim. It's okay. Easy, it's alright. Slow deep breaths." He knew that voice! It was one that he'd come to adore over the past months and in his dazed, drugged state he couldn't help what tumbled out of his mouth.

"Mom…"

Shannon heard him and glanced at Gibbs. Had he really just said that? Was he confused? It didn't matter, what mattered now was that he knew they were there for him.

"It's alright sweetie. The medicine is doing what it's supposed too, so just relax. The doctors said you can come home tomorrow as long as you don't have another reaction."

"Dad?" Tim's eyes threatened to close as exhaustion started to weight down on him. Shannon reached forward and brushed her hand down his cheek to calm him and smiled warmly.

"He's gone sweetie." Tim's face crumpled when he heard the news and Gibbs stepped forward to try and sooth him.

"He was arrested Tim. He can't get to you now."

"Dad." Tim's voice was muffled behind the mask and he pointed at Gibbs with a resolute look in his eyes. "Dad…."

"Me?" Gibbs asked gently and helped shuffle Tim over so he could climb up on the bed with him. Tim snuggled into his side and rested his head on Gibbs stomach. "You were talking about me?"

Tim nodded and snuggled in further as sleep threatened to pull him under. Gibbs could still feel the heat rolling off this loving little boy and wondered exactly when he had actually inherited a son that seemed to accept him wholly.

"Looks like that's a definite yes, then." Shannon grinned leaned over to kiss Gibbs. "You want to stay with him tonight?"

"You mind?" Gibbs asked knowing that she would also want to stay. One of them had to be there with Kelly though and it was a tough decision to make.

"As much as I want to stay, he looks comfortable and I need to go and rescue Mike. I'll come by first thing though."

Gibbs nodded and started to card his fingers through Tim's sweaty hair. "He's really hot."

"Shannon frowned and laid her hand on his forehead. "He really is. Press the button, honey. I want to know what's going on. I know the doctor said it was normal but still…"

"We're in new territory here." her husband replied as he pushed the nurse's call button. They didn't have to wait long until a nurse came in and smiled at the scene in front of her.

"Hi. Is anything wrong?" She asked and made her way over to check on the machinery and Tim's IV.

"I don't know. Should he be this hot?" Gibbs asked with a worried frown. "I mean, the kid's burning up."

The nurse pulled out a thermometer and stuck the end in Tim's ear. It wasn't long before it beeped and she frowned at the digits there. "Okay, that's a little bit high. I'll call the doctor but I wouldn't worry."

"What is it?" Shannon asked.

"101.6. We've had higher with these reactions so that's not too bad." She gave them a comforting smile before leaving the room to get the doctor. Shannon watched her leave and turned to her husband and son. The sight before her warmed her heart and she couldn't help the small smile as she watched Gibbs sitting there gazing at the fragile little boy in his lap. It was that moment; that little bit of tenderness that told her that from now on Tim was his and nothing anyone did could tear them away from each other.


	4. Chapter 4

**I just want to say a big thank you for all your wonderful reviews. You guys truly are the best and I love you all for your comments. They really did make me feel all warm and fuzzy. **

**Really, you guys are truly great! So, here's the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy xx**

* * *

><p>The night seemed to draw on slowly, but Gibbs was glad to be there with Tim. The doctors had been in and changed the non re-breather mask for a nasal canula, which made him feel infinitely better and the fever had broken soon after. All in all, the rest seemed to be doing the boy the world of good and hopefully he'd be able to go home in the morning. Shannon had left hours ago, but not before kissing her boys and stopping for a moment to smooth Tim's hair back in a tender, motherly way. Gibbs could tell that she had fallen in love with Tim just as much as he had and truth be told, it was both wonderful and scary. The one thing that they had been glad of was the fact that the boy had completely changed inside of a week of him being with them and long gone was the depression and the nervousness only to be replaced by a little boy longing for the love that he deserved. Of course, it was something that they could give him readily and did. Tim had responded by slowly coming out of himself and actually started to act like a child rather than the morose, tense young man he had become. Gibbs felt Tim stir beside him and rubbed at his back gently.<p>

"Da…" Coughing stopped what Tim was going to say and Gibbs gently lifted him up and rubbed at the small back. The one thing he couldn't get used to was seeing his kids in pain and always took it hard when Kelly was sick. Now, he was taking just as badly now that Tim was sick…a month! That's all it's taken. A damn month for this kid to steal my heart!

"Hey, Timmy it's alright. Come on now, breathe. That's it." He carried on rubbing Tim's back and the coughing soon eased. "You want some water?"

Tim nodded and Gibbs reached over to grab the bottle of water that sat there. He unscrewed the cap and helped Tim drink, not liking the shaking in the small hands that covered his own. "Easy now. Don't make yourself sick."

Tim pulled his head away and nodded. "Thanks Da…Jethro."

The change of title tore at Gibbs heart, making him frown. Hell if the kid wanted to call him dad, then who was he to argue? He gazed down at the small, solemn face and raised his eyebrows slightly. "You want to call me Dad?"

Tim didn't know how to answer and Gibbs watched as he ducked his head before moving to rub at the tube under his nose. With a sigh, the older man reached over and grasped the small hand gently.

"You need to leave that on for now, son." He made the decision there and then, to pull Tim into his lap and hold him tight. It was something he did with Kelly when she was upset or sick, and wanted to do the same thing for Tim. He moved so that he could take a hold of Tim and hoist him up without upsetting the equipment.

"It it…itches." Tim said through a yawn and settled happily against Gibbs' chest. The older man smiled and wrapped his arms around his son.

"I know. You still need it though, so leave it along. You didn't answer. You want to call me Dad?"

Tim nodded into his chest. "I wanna."

"Then you can." He looked down and saw the gorgeous green eyes gazing up at him and knew that despite Tim's weakened condition, the young man was in complete awe of being accepted so readily. It wasn't something that he'd ever had before and even now, struggled to come to terms with it. "Only on one condition though."

"W…what?"

"You call Shannon, Mom and let us adopt you."

Tim's eyes filled with tears and Gibbs worried for a moment that he'd done wrong. It wasn't until Tim wrapped his small arms around his neck, that he knew they were tears of sheer happiness.

"Yes please. I wanna be with you all. I don't want Da….Callum to find me. Please…."

"Shh." Gibbs soothed as the gentle tears because full blown sobs. Sobs that left Tim fighting for breath as his healing throat tissues battled against the abuse. "Come on, calm down okay. We want to be able to take you home tomorrow so your new Mom can spoil you rotten."

That seemed to work, and the sobbing soon became little hitches as Tim tried to get himself together. It wasn't long before he managed to cry himself to sleep and within minutes, the arms round Gibbs' neck slackened. The older man grinned and managed to get them both comfortable with a blanket over them before settling back against the headboard cradling Tim.

***NCIS***

"Mommy, where's Timmy? I wanna see Timmy!" Kelly demanded as they walked through the halls of the hospital. She'd woken up full of energy and it plain to see how much of an attachment the pretty young girl had formed with the boy and it was strange, because even though she'd been nice to the others and welcomed them, none of the other foster kids had even come this close to actually being accepted as her brother.

"He's just down the hall sweetheart. You need to be gentle with him though because he might not be feeling well for a couple of days."

"I know that, silly. I just wanna make sure he's okay." Kelly trilled as they came up to Tim's room.

"Okay then Missy Kelly. You know what we talked about, right?" Kelly nodded her head, her red curls bouncing. "Good. So be quiet and don't crowd him."

"Yes Mommy. Can we go in now?" Shannon laughed softly and led the girl in the room. What met them wasn't unexpected, but it was heartwarming to see. "Daddy and Timmy are sleepy."

Kelly's whisper made Shannon grin and she couldn't help but wish she'd bought the camera. Her husband was sitting on the bed, with his back to the headboard and his head lolling back against a strategically placed pillow while Tim sat on his lap cuddled up against his chest. The nasal canula was still there, and the IV hadn't been disturbed, but they were peaceful and the sight of them was just too cute for words.

"Yes they are, Angel." She said as she sat down and held out her arms for Kelly. The little girl bounded over and let her mom lift her onto her knee and they sat there waiting patiently for their boys to wake up.

"Daddy's going silver." Kelly whispered to her mom and Shannon couldn't help but chuckle lightly. She resisted the urge to reach over and run her fingers through the brown hair that now held little traces of grey. It was endearing, but she knew that the new streaks were a sure sign that they were both getting old.

"He sure is. He's getting old."

"Old my ass, Shan." Gibbs yawned loudly and blearily looked over at his girls. "You been a good girl, honey?"

"Yuh huh!" Kelly answered happily and cocked her head. "Timmy been a good boy?"

A deep laugh from behind them drew their attention away and they all turned to see the doctor walk in. "He's been a model patient. And you are?"

"Kelly Gibbs and this is Mom." Kelly replied with a sweet smile.

The doctor smiled and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you Kelly…and you too, Mom."

Shannon shook his hand. "Shannon Gibbs. So doctor, how's our little man doing?"

The doctor walked to the end of the bed and looked at the chart. After about a minute, he put it back and moved to Tim to examine him. "It looks like he's ready to be released. There were no bi-phasic reactions and his O2 levels are looking good. I would like him to take corticosteroids and antihistamines for about a week though, so they might leave him feeling a bit out of sorts. After a reaction like this, we tend to play on the side of caution."

"We can go home?" A sleep slurred voice rose from Gibbs chest and they all looked as Tim woke up and looked around the room. "Dad said I can call you Mom."

"He did?" Shannon asked surprised, but she found it difficult to keep the glee out of her voice. "I'd like that very much, sweetie."

Tim looked over at Kelly nervously. "Is it okay with you?"'

Kelly grinned happily. "Of course it is, silly. What else would you call her?"

Tim smiled with relief. He hadn't meant to disregard how she might take the idea of her having to share her parents with him permanently. He was relieved she seemed to take it in stride just like she did with anything else that came her way.

"Mom?" Gibbs smiled at Tim's new name for his wife and one glance at Shannon told him how much Tim's endearment made her happy.

"Yes, baby?"

"Can I go home now?" Tim's question was hopeful and they all glanced at the doctor for confirmation.

"I think that can be arranged, Timothy. How's your breathing?" the doctor asked.

"S'okay."

"No tightness?" It was standard questions, but Gibbs wanted nothing more than to sign the papers and get his family home and hoped that the doctor would keep it brief.

"Nope." Tim answered and sat up fully. His hair was stuck up in all directions from where he'd slept and Shannon made a mental note to remind her husband about getting it cut when Tim was well enough. "I feel fine."

"Hmm. Okay. Timothy…."

"Tim." Tim replied but ducked his head with embarrassment at cutting the doctor off. "Sorry."

"That's okay. So Tim. I take it you know the drill with your meds?" The doctor asked warmly and reached over to unhook the canula. Tim nodded and sat forward so that the doctor could check his lungs and inhaled sharply as the cold stethoscope touched his skin. "Sorry. I forget to warm it first."

"That's okay." Tim replied and did what the doctor asked as he went about the checks.

"Sounds good. So, who's going to come and sign the discharge papers?" The doctor asked and looked between Gibbs and Shannon. Gibbs looked down at Tim and smiled.

"Hey, how about you let Shan…Mom have a cuddle and I'll go sign the papers." He looked over at his wife and gave a short nod towards his son. "You bring him some clean clothes?"

"Sure did." She replied and held up the backpack she had carried in. "I bought a pair of your new sweats and a t-shirt. Thought you'd be more comfortable."

"Thanks Mom." Tim climbed off Gibbs' lap and held out his hand to the doctor so that he could remove the IV. "Can you take this out please?"

"Sure I can. Are you going to be brave?" Tim grinned and nodded his head happily giving the doctor the signal to start removing it. It didn't take long and he soon had a band-aid over the small puncture wound.

"Didn't that hurt?" Kelly asked loudly and pulled her face. "That was yukky!"

"Nope!" Tim said around a yawn and rubbed his eyes. "M'tired."

"That's my cue. Where'd I go sign him out?" Gibbs asked and rubbed Tim's back.

"I'll take you." The doctor answered as he wrote up his notes. "Okay young man, you get changed and then I want you to get as much rest as you can." Tim nodded and reached his arms up so that Gibbs could lift him up.

"You need to stay here, Tim." He asked through a laugh and picked his new son up. "Get changed and I'll be back in a minute."

Tim squirmed slightly and leaned in to whisper in Gibbs' ear. "I know. I gotta go little boy's room." Gibbs let him down and watched as he made his way to take care of business. "Shan, I'll take Kelly with me while you get him ready."

"Okay. See you in a minute. Go with Daddy, sweetie." Kelly jumped down and grasped at her dad's outstretched hand. Shannon watched as they walked out and glanced around at the room, hating the fact that it was so clinical and bland, but then again, it was a hospital. What else did she expect? Right now, all she wanted to do was take her family home and sit with Tim while he recovered.

"Sha…Mom. Can I have my clothes, please?" She turned to see a small, bedraggled head poking out of the bathroom and picked the bag up.

"That's going to take some getting used to huh?" she said warmly and handed him the clothes that she'd just taken out. "Don't worry, it'll soon become second nature to you, Sweetheart."

"I know." He replied and took the proffered items before ducking back in to get ready. Ten minutes later, the family was ready to leave and Tim was safely ensconced in Gibbs' arms.

"Ok guys, you ready?" At the unified 'yes' he received he couldn't help but grin and rub Tim's back. He looked down when he felt Tim's head resting on his shoulder and saw that he was fast asleep once again.

"It must really take it outta him." He said wistfully.

"The doctor said it would." Shannon looked on affectionately and shouldered the backpack before taking Kelly's hand. "Come on, Let's go home."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The past few days had been spent helping Tim get better, and even though he was stronger, the bone weary exhaustion still hung around. Shannon knocked on his bedroom door before going in and smiled at the sight of him sleeping peacefully, curled up in a small ball with the covers thrown half off. She took a moment to enjoy the blissful serenity and thought back to the past few nights when Tim had had nightmares that kept him awake and shaking in either her's or Gibbs' arms. With a sigh, she made her way over to the bed and sat down gently.

"Tim. Time to wake up." She said softly and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Come on Rip Van Winkle, we're going to go see Jackson today."

Tim stirred and stretched out languidly. "Five more minutes." He mumbled and curled back up on his side. Shannon sighed and shook her head, knowing that it was the same every morning with both her kids.

"Nuh uh Mr. You and Kelly can sleep in the car. Right now, you need to wake up and come get some breakfast."

He cracked open a bleary eye and groaned slightly. "Kay."

"Up!" She pulled Tim up and ruffled his hair. It was much neater now that Gibbs had taken him to get it cut the day before, though the soft curls were still there; something she had been relieved to see when they came back. "Come on." She held out her hand as she stood up and waited for Tim to grab her hand. He took it without question and let her lead him out of the bedroom just in time to see Gibbs walking out of Kelly's room with a sleepy little girl latched onto his hand.

"Morning, Son."

"Morning Daddy." Tim replied and smiled at Kelly. "We goin' to see Grampa today."

"Uh huh. Daddy said we have pancakes today. With chocolate sauce!" Tim's eyes widened and he glanced up at Shannon.

"We can?"

"You can. Just this once as a treat because we've got a long journey ahead of us." Tim grinned as they made their way downstairs and let go of his mom's hand so he could follow Kelly into the living room.

"He's a good kid." Gibbs said lovingly and wrapped his arm around his wife's waist. "Ames said she's submitted the paperwork already. She doesn't mess around."

"She doesn't. A month, Gibbs. That's all it's taken for him to steal our hearts. He's special and the sooner we get those adoption papers to sign the better."

"I know. Ames said it's an open shut case given what happened in the past and at the restaurant. The court won't look to kindly on him trying to get Tim back. She seems confident that they'll accept the application."

Shannon nodded and rested her head on her husband's shoulder as they watched the kids eating happily together. It was a wonderful thing to see and both of them knew, that no matter what, they would fight tooth and nail to keep Tim a permanent part of their lives.

***NCIS***

Tim sat in the back of the car with his head cushioned on the pillow that his new mom and dad had placed in the back of the car for him and Kelly. His sister had fallen asleep ages ago, but he couldn't seem to drag his eyes away from the magnificent scenery that whooshed by. Right now, they were travelling alongside a large lake that was lined with tall trees. Snow had fallen sometime during the night, though not enough to make the road impassable, just enough to make the scene he was watching look like something off of a Christmas card. The terrain wasn't rugged, just pretty. It was something that Tim hadn't seen before and for some reason it amazed him.

"Dad."

"Yeah, Tim." Gibbs replied and glanced back through the rear view mirror at the young boy.

"Can we stop. I wanna…." Tim trailed off and when Gibbs glances back again, he could see the deep blush of embarrassment that marred Tim's handsome small face.

"Sure we can, buddy. There's a lay by up ahead that we can stop at." Tim looked up and grinned before turning his attention back to the window.

"Timmy. You said you wanted to do something." Shannon added softly and reached back to grasp at Tim's hand. "Don't ever be afraid to ask for something if you want it, okay? I mean, what's the worst that can happen?"

Tim didn't know how to respond. In the past, Callum would scream at him and curse him every name under the sun. This family was different though and despite the traumatic past he'd had, he knew he could trust them. The past was a hard thing to let go of though and it still sent shivers of fear trembling up his spine.

"We'd say no, sweetie. Nothing more, nothing less. That's all we'd do, but we'd make sure you know why we had said no." Shannon's answer was so full of sincerity that Tim knew she was right.

"I know. I…I just wanna look."

"At the lake?" Gibbs asked gently.

"Yeah, I like it."

Shannon tightened her grip on his hand and nodded her head. Five minutes later, they found themselves pulling into the lay by and bundling up against the cold that would greet them when they stepped out. "Kelly, honey. We're going to stretch our legs or a minute. You wanna get out?"

Kelly woke up slowly and looked out of the window to see the frozen lake and the snow and sat there blinking at the sight. "Yup."

Tim leaned over and pulled her hat on with a warm smile and kissed her cheek. "Gotta stay warm…you see the snow?"

With a bleary smile, his foster sister nodded and jumped slightly when her door opened to reveal Gibbs standing there wearing his thick winter Jacket and hat. "Well, you two comin'?"

Both kids nodded and clambered to get out of the car. Tim's eyes widened as he ran over to the fencing to look out at the lake and his look could only be described as that of sheer wonder at the beauty that stretched out before him. "Dad! Look! It's all white!"

Shannon chuckled and wrapped her arm around her husband's waist as they walked over to where Kelly had just joined Tim. They stood there for a moment before Gibbs looked at a large, flat area full of deep, white, fluffy snow. "Hey kids! Blank canvas." He gestured with his head and grinned when his daughter squealed with delight and ran over to a patch and laid down.

"What's she doing?" Tim asked around a giggle and frowned with confusion as the little girl moved her arms and legs. After a moment she stood up and ran back to where Tim was.

"I made a snow angel….Look!" There in the snow, was the perfectly formed show angel and to Tim, it was the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen. "You wanna make one too?"

"No….Um…Dad?"

"Yeah, Son?" Gibbs replied and looked down at the young boy. He sighed heavily when he noticed Tim's shy nature return and crouched down so he could put his finger under the small chin and guide it up so that Tim was looking at him. "Hey! What did we tell you? You got a question, all you gotta do is ask. What's the worst that can happen?"

"You say no." Tim nodded and sucked in a huge breath. "I've…I wanna…Da…Callum never let me."

"Let you do what? Hey, talk to me." Tim shuddered once and Gibbs pulled him into his arms knowing that tears were imminent; what really annoyed him, was the fact that they were there at the mention of his father's name. He held him close and rested his cheek on top of the sky blue hat that they had bought him.

"Can we make a snowman?" Tim's quiet voice was muffled against Gibbs' chest and Shannon just about made out what he said. "Please?"

With a chuckle and a glance at the watch that Gibbs had bought her for her birthday, Shannon reached down and put her hand on his shoulder. "We've got time. We left early remember? Besides, Jackson would be the first one to say there's always time to let the kids have fun. He wouldn't care if we were late so we could do this for them." She watched the smile creep over her husband's face and laughed loudly when he growled and picked Tim up right before running toward the big snow field and twirling round with his son in his arms. Kelly joined in with the mirth when Tim loud, warm laughter reached them and ran over.

"What we doing?"

"Kelly, we're gonna build a snowman. A big ole snowman that everyone will see when they drive past. You remember how to do it?"

"Yuh huh. Grampa showed us last year 'member?"

"He did, didn't he? Okay, who wants to get the balls rolling and who wants to go look for arms, nose, eyes and buttons?" Gibbs looked at his family before chuckling and shaking his head. "Huh, you guys really are indecisive. Alright, Shan, you and Kelly go hunting and I'm gonna show Tim how to make em."

Shannon took Kelly with her as Gibbs went about showing Tim how to start making the snowman and after a good half hour of rolling two small snowballs in the snow, they finally had the body and head ready for decorating.

"How'd we get the head on?" Tim asked and for the first time, Gibbs could see his calculating mind going through every scenario. It was kind of cute watching his boy circling the two big snowballs. "Mom's gonna have to help. The body's as big as me."

"Yup and here they come now…Hey! Shan, come over here and help me give this snowman a head." Shannon and Kelly walked over, laden with goodies that they could use to decorate their creation.

"How big is this thing?" Shannon asked as she dropped her bundle down on the floor and moved to the smaller ball. "Isn't that going to be heavy?"

"Probably." Gibbs answered and crouched down to get his hands underneath the huge snowball. "But we'll do it."

Shannon followed suite and between them, they just about managed to get the head on. It was all worth it when they caught sight of Tim's huge smile. "It looks brilliant! What's next? Can we decorate? Can I do the face?"

The excitement the small boy showed was deeply infectious, but before they could do anything they explained about packing around the neck to stop the head from rolling off. Once that had been done, they went about decorating it and stepped back when it was finished. Gibbs picked Tim up and gave him a hug. "So, whadda'ya think?"

"It looks amazing! I wish we had a camera coz we could take a photo to show Grampa."

"I have a camera." Shannon said right before reaching over to ruffle Tim's hair. "Even bought the tripod, so how about we set it up and take our first full family picture? The background will be perfect because it's stunningly beautiful out here."

Gibbs turned to look across the lake at the snow capped tree's that lined the bank. She was right, this would be perfect and the vista that stretched behind them would make a perfect back ground for…

"Hey, honey!" he called as she walked back carrying the equipment. "We doing that Christmas card thing again this year?"

It took a moment for Shannon to realize what he was talking about before it dawned on her and she knew exactly what he was thinking. "I think we should. I mean it was perfect last year and this really would be the picture we need?"

"Aww Mommy. I'm wearing a hat!" Kelly whined once she'd cottoned on what it was they were discussing. "I don't wanna be wearing a hat in our Christmas picture!"

"Well then take it off, Kel." Gibbs answered and tugged the pink hat off her head. Shannon shook her head and went about straightening out her daughter's red hair. "See, Mommy made it look pretty."

"Can I take mine off too?" Tim asked and felt his own hat being pulled off.

Shannon smiled as Gibbs got them in position and set the timer before running over and standing behind her son. "Okay everyone. Smile for the camera." The whole family grinned just in time for the camera to capture the scene forever on film. A scene that would provide them with a beautifully large picture that sat on the mantle in years to come.

***NCIS***

An hour later found them all back on the road on the way to see Jackson. They'd decided to pull out the picnic basket and eat lunch whilst warming up in the car before setting off again. It wasn't long after pulling out, that Gibbs noticed the silence in the car and heard the short puffs of breath. One glance to the side told him that his wife was dozing with her head leaning against the window and he already knew that the kids were asleep because they'd fallen asleep, curled up right before they pulled out. Shannon had gotten out of the car and got the large fleecy blanket out of the trunk to cover them as they huddled up together on the back seat. A fleeting thought ran through his mind, that no matter what, the two kids were inseparable now and it would break their little hearts if that son of a bitch, Callum McGee fought them for the rights to his son…NO! He wasn't gonna think like that. Tim was his…theirs now and no matter what, he would fight hard for that little by to stay in their lives.

"Stop it." Shannon's sleepy, husky voice travelled over to him as he drove and he couldn't help but frown.

"What?"

"Thinking. Damn, Gibbs! It was loud enough to wake me up." She sat up and reached over so that her hand was resting on his thigh. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just this ole brain ticking over. You know what I'm like."

Shannon narrowed her eyes as she looked at her husband. "He won't get him. He's ours now Gibbs."

"How…? I should have known." He said around a small laugh and shook his head. "I know, Sweetheart. But it doesn't stop me worrying about it. I won't stop until we have those papers signed and filed and then…and only then, can we get Tim's name changed if he wants too. I won't force that on him, but damn, It's something I want so bad."

Shannon smiled warmly knowing that he shared her thoughts exactly. "Me too. Timothy Gibbs. It has nice ring to it."

"Yes it does. We'll speak to him after the papers are signed and see about changing it. We'll have to fill in a mountain of paperwork and file it with the county court, but it'll be so worth it."

Shannon nodded her agreement and looked round at the two children as they slept peacefully. "It really would. I can't imagine life without him now."

Gibbs took his right hand off the wheel and placed it over his beloved wives hand. They drove like that in silence, letting the peaceful, comfortable silence infuse them both with the love and completion at having their family finally whole.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Gibbs pulled into his family home and took in the familiar sights of the old house sitting there in the middle of a perfectly manicured front garden. Even now, in the middle of winter with two foot of snow on the ground, he could tell that his old dad had kept up the good work that his own mother had put in and found himself thinking back to the lazy summers spent on the porch with her drinking lemonade when the roses were in full bloom. He sighed heavily and unbuckled his seatbelt before turning back to Shannon. She'd fallen asleep again and he noticed that a stray, red ringlet had fallen onto her beautiful, English rose face. With a smile, he brushed it back and leaned in to kiss her forehead to wake his sleeping beauty up.

"Wha…."

"We're here and just in time. It's only 4, but it's starting to get dark already. You wanna wake the kids or carry them in?"

Shannon glanced over and winced. The chances of Tim or Kelly going to bed easily tonight were slim to none and she hadn't meant to let them sleep that long. "We better wake them up. They're going to be a nightmare at bed time tonight."

"I know. They can stay up later if that's okay. We're only here for a few days, so let them enjoy Dad while they can. Hey, you pack that book Ames gave Tim?"

With a nod, Shannon smiled. "Which one? I bought the Two Towers because Mike just finished reading him the Lord of the Rings. She got him the whole set and I swear, he has everyone reading them to him…well, that's when he hasn't got his nose stuck in one."

"He likes to read." Gibbs reached back and gently pulled the blanket down from the two young children still huddled in the back. "Hey, guys. You ready to see Grampa?" They both stirred and looked at him through sleep-addled eyes, both taking a moment to come round and look out towards the house. Kelly nudged Tim and nodded towards the house.

"That's Grampa's house, Timmy. Daddy, can we go in? Can we, please?"

With a laugh, Gibbs nodded and cut the engine before stepping out and opening the door for them to get out. Kelly jumped out excitedly, her sleep-mussed hair fluttering gently in the wind. He half expected Tim to follow suit, but noticed that the small boy was still huddled in the blanket, unsure of what to do.

"Hey, Tim. You wanna go in, Son?"

"Um…I…yeah but…" Shannon got out of the passenger side and opened the door so she could reach into Tim.

"But what honey? You're frightened to go in by yourself?" Tim nodded warily as she pulled him out and hugged him tightly. "How about you come in with me then? I know you've met Grampa, but I also understand that this is new to you. You know he wouldn't turn you away right?"

"I know but…I'm not…I…I…" Tim's face crumpled with frustration because he struggled to get out what he wanted to say. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jack, he was still unsure as to what he should be doing or not.

"You don't know what to do?" Shannon asked gently and gently pushed Tim away so that she could look into his eyes and show him how sincere she was in what she said. She gently rubbed away the tears that tracked down his rosy cheeks and smiled. "What do you want to do?"

"I wanna….I wanna go with Kelly." He said shyly and blushed.

"Then go my little man. Go run after your sister, and just be your wonderful self. You know how much we all love you and your Grampa wouldn't let you call him anything else because he sees you as his grandchild. If anything, that old man in there will be wondering where his favorite little boy is, so you go on, Honey. You run in there and give him a big hug. Okay?"

She saw something lift in Tim and watched as his large, light green eyes lit up right before he kissed her cheek and ran in after her sister. Shannon stood up with a happy tear in her eye and gazed after him. She felt Gibbs' arms wrap around her and nuzzled into his head when he rested it on her shoulders. "You did good."

"Ya think?" She replied before laughing softly, the sound soft and soothing. "He just needs that little bit of reassurance with things and hopefully, we'll manage to bring him out of himself fully soon."

"Fingers crossed." Gibbs replied and pulled back enough to lace his fingers through hers so that they could walk into the house together.

***NCIS***

Jackson sat there with one of his grandchildren tucked neatly under each arm. It was getting late now and both of the little ones were sleeping comfortably. "So, he's a Gibbs now?" Jacks kindly blue eyes twinkled as he asked the question. "I mean, he wants to be right?"

"You've really taken to him haven't you Dad?" Shannon asked warmly. "He's gotten to you too."

"You have no idea. I have two grand babies now and after what you have told me, you will not give this boy up without a fight. Leroy, You'll do what you can to keep him. You hear me?"

The strength and seriousness in the older Gibbs' voice struck a chord with the two parents and all they could do was sit and nod solemnly in agreement.

"I mean it! Don't let that bastard get this boy. He deserves better and he's so different from the little boy I met a few weeks ago…Leroy, put some more wood on the fire, son" Gibbs glanced over at the smoldering embers and stood up so he could grab more kindling and wood from the basket that sat beside the large, open stone fire. It was one of the reasons he wanted a house with an open fire when he had house hunted with Shannon after getting married. There was just something about feeling the heat and cuddling up in front of one that felt homely and heartwarming. He got the fire going again and sat there gazing at the flames that danced and flickered. It was mesmerizing and he soon got lost in his thoughts once again.

"Leroy…Son? You okay?"

Gibbs blinked once and stood up from where he knelt at the hearth. "Yeah Dad. I'm fine." He turned and looked at his father and felt his heart skip a beat when he looked into the peaceful faces of the two kids. He knew then, that no matter what, he really would fight to the death to protect them and the rest of his family from harm. "Dad, let me get those two to bed. It's getting late now anyway and they didn't sleep for that long in the car."

"Do you have to?" Jackson asked and blushed slightly. "They're keeping an old man warm, Leroy. You know there's nothing better in life than a cuddle from a loved one keeping you warm."

"I know Dad. But I'd rather not have them grouchy tomorrow and you know they will be if we wake them up any later." He moved to his father and kissed his forehead before picking Kelly up gently. The little girl grumbled sleepily and tried to get away from her father as he hoisted her up. "Hey, honey. Come on, let's get you to bed."

"Tim…" She mumbled slightly making Shannon look at Gibbs with a huge grin. He grinned back knowing that she was thinking the same thing…She remembered him despite being half asleep.

"Will be right behind you. You're both in the same bed tonight." He answered gently and held on tight as she snuggled back down.

Kelly nodded against his shoulder and put her thumb in her mouth. Shannon sighed and shook her head at the action because she'd been hoping that it was a habit that her little girl would grow out of eventually. "I can't believe she still does that."

"Only when she's sleepy. You gonna bring Tim, or you want me to come get him afterwards?"

Shannon smiled warmly and stood up. "I'll get him. They'll drop off easier if they're together anyway." She walked over and followed suit with Jack's kiss before lifting Tim into her arms and carrying him out after Gibbs. Tim didn't stir like Kelly though, and she found herself wondering if he was all right, as she carried him into the room and laid him down on the bed.

"What's wrong?" Gibbs asked as his wife laid the little boy down on the bed and tucked him in the way Gibbs had done for Kelly. "You look worried. He okay?"

"Yeah, he just didn't wake up." She replied and leaned down to place her hand on his forehead. "No fever."

Gibbs walked round to the other side of the bed and laid his hand on her shoulder. "Shan, he's tired that's all and you know what he's like for waking up first thing. Let him sleep, Honey, he's okay."

She nodded and kissed both children lightly on the cheek before standing up and making her way out. Gibbs followed and grasped her hand as they shut the door and went back to his father. With a sigh, they couldn't help but smile when they walked back into the warm living room to see him sitting there, reading the book that Tim had bought with him.

"You enjoying that, Dad?" Gibbs chuckled and shook his head as he grabbed the mugs and went to refill them.

"The boy has good taste." Jackson said and marked his place with his own bookmark. "How does a seven year old read this and understand it?"

"He's a very clever little boy, Dad. His own father didn't let him excel in anything but since starting school with Kelly…" She paused and cocked her head slightly. "Dad you should see what his teachers are saying. He's bright, that's for sure, and it's amazing watching him help Kelly with her homework. He understands it all and is so patient with her. He can sit with her for hours until she gets it and always makes it fun for her."

Jack beamed with pride and nodded his understanding. "They're close. I'll give you that. How can one little boy come in and fit in like that? It's like he's always been here."

"I know. I can't imagine life without him now, which is strange. I worry though. What if Callum McGee fights and wins? I mean, Tim won't survive that, he's seen what it's like to have a normal family that doesn't hate or resent him." The heartbreak on Shannon's face at the possibility was palpable and tore at the older Gibbs man, but before he could get up and hug his daughter–in-law, his son walked in carrying a tray of hot chocolate.

"Not gonna happen, Shan. After what that bastard did at the restaurant, I don't think he's got a chance in hell of ever getting custody again. There's too much history there honey." He handed his wife her mug and offered a warm smile before handing Jack his drink. "So Dad. You don't mind having a new grandson this way. I mean, I know he's not biological but…?"

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, let me tell you something now!" Jack jumped in firmly. "Tim is my grandson. Might not be through blood, but from the first moment I saw that kid, I knew. Blood doesn't matter. Just because you aren't the one who donated the sperm doesn't make you less of his father, Leroy. That's not what being a parent is about! It takes more than that! A father is the man that brings you up and loves you. Same goes for the mother and the rest of the family. Right now, he's a Gibbs. Don't you ever forget that, Boy."

Gibbs sat back with his coffee and looked as his dad. This was something he'd hoped for; total acceptance of Tim and a warm welcome into the fold. Now that he had his father's blessing, the months ahead didn't seem so daunting. "Thanks Dad. So, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Thought we might take Tim out and introduce him to ice fishing. The lake's nice and frozen right now and there's a spot that's been hacked out for that reason. It's nice and big, so there'll be room."

Gibbs sat back and smiled. Every year, the same spot was earmarked for ice fishing and it was something that he and his father had done at least once a year since he was a boy. Tim would love it….or at least he hoped he would. "Sounds good Dad. I know Shannon's dying to take Kelly shopping so it'll be a good opportunity for them."

"Hey, I can't help it if I like some of the shops in the next town over. You boys will be back before us though, so just make sure you're all nice and warm by the time we get back."

"I know. You have nothing to worry about there, honey." Gibbs replied as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She nestled in and laid her head down on his shoulder and sat there listening to her family talking softly amongst themselves. The gently rumble of the voices that she loved lulled her to sleep and right before she drifted off, she couldn't help but smile at the fleeting thought, that everything was right with the world that she lived in.

***NCIS***

"So you fish in the ice?" Tim asked as his new father wrapped a scarf around his neck and made sure he was ready for a few hours in the cold. "The fish can live in the cold? How?"

Tim's innocent curiosity at the world never failed to make Gibbs smile. "Now that, I don't know. But how about you find out when we get home and then you can let me know."

Tim nodded his head before grinning. "We can find out together! Can we? Please?" The fact that the question was asked with so much hope and longing, served as a stark reminder that he'd never had that one to one parenting before and Gibbs felt something twist in his gut.

"We sure can, little man. So, you think you're gonna be warm enough out there?"

"Yup. Just need my hat." Gibbs pulled the sky blue hat out of his pocket and pushed it over the blond curls. "See, all ready now." Tim giggled and threw his arms around Gibbs for a hug. Gibbs wrapped his arms around him and stood up to twirl his son around.

"You two look like you're having fun." Shannon said as she walked out of the kitchen to see the bonding moment. "Tim, are you sure you're going to be warm enough?"

Jackson chuckled at her question knowing that Gibbs had asked the very same not so long ago. "The boy's done up like an Eskimo. He'll be warm enough, don't you worry about that. If it gets too much, then we'll come home."

Shannon nodded and moved over to her men. With a soft kiss, she said her goodbyes and watched as they all trudged out to the car so that they could make their way out to the lake. "Mommy, when are we going shopping? Can we buy them all a little present?"

Kelly's voice broke through her thoughts and she turned to smile warmly at her daughter. "Sure we can, honey. Why don't you go and get ready and we'll get going." Kelly jumped up and ran to the bedroom to get her stuff together. When she came back, Shannon helped her into her winter gear and they headed out.

***NCIS***

The three Gibbs were walking to the lake after parking up and were enjoying the beautiful scenery that surrounded them. Tim was holding Jacks hand as they walked and was amazed by the tall spruce trees that surrounded them. He watched as snow fluttered down off the branches when they became too heavy with their burden and giggled with glee when his Dad got sprinkled with one.

"Hey you little tyke!" Gibbs chuckled as he shook off the snow. "Come here…."

Tim let go of Jacks hand and ran ahead as Gibbs chased after him growling. It was a scene that was so normal, that to anyone looking in, they were just a father and son enjoying themselves. If only they knew the truth and knew how much this really meant to the small, happy boy. Gibbs stopped dead when Tim did and watched as his son backed away from something slowly as if gripped in fear. His heart dropped at the sight of the kid's small, tense frame and he could almost feel the tension rolling off of Tim.

"Hey, Tim. What is it?" he said as he approached and knelt down to catch Tim as he backed up. His little boy jumped when the back of his foot connected with Gibbs' knee and he lost his footing so that he was sitting fully in his lap. "What's wrong?"

"It's….don't make me go down there…Please…I don't wanna…I…I…" Tim's stammering confused him and he wondered what it was that had his son so scared.

"Shh, it's okay. Tell me what's wrong." Gibbs soothed.

"I can't…I don't wanna….no…please…."

"Dad? Can you go take a look at what's gotten him spooked?" Jackson nodded his answer to the question, and carefully placed his gear down on the ground next to his sons.

"Sure thing, Leroy." He replied and walked past them and down the path. When he reached the end of it, he looked over the fenced area and down towards the huge lake below. "There's nothing here, Leroy. Just the lookout for the lake."

Gibbs looked at him with a frown before lifting Tim and turning him around to look at him. When Tim finally looked into his eyes, he saw the sharp glint of fear flashing constantly through his sons. "Tim…Son, what is it?"

"High…too high…I don't….it's too…."

"You don't like heights?" Gibbs asked gently and watched as Tim nodded sullenly. He thought back to when they stopped the car on the way here and remembered that the road was level with the lake and they hadn't looked down then. Truth be told, he thought Tim would like the view given the beauty that surrounded them and didn't even think about the fact that they boy might be scared of being so high above their destination. "Okay, that's okay. Some people don't. You wanna go back?"

Tim shook his little head before blushing furiously. "N..no. I wanna go fishing with you and Grampa but I can't…Daddy, I can't…."

"Leroy, the other path is a gentle slope down. There's no view that looks down, but it's longer."

Gibbs nodded and turned back to Tim. "How about it? We get to take a little hike."

Tim nodded and felt himself being pulled into his father arms. "Hey, it's alright, okay. Don't you forget that. If you wanna talk about it, then you can come to any of us."

"I know." Tim whispered and pulled back with a blush. "Sorry."

"What for?"

"Being a fraidy cat." Tim admitted and dipped his head down. Gibbs hated that; hated the fact that the kid felt ashamed constantly about things that he didn't need to be. He placed his fingers under Tim's chin and raised his head.

"You're not. I don't want you thinking that, you got me? You're a Gibbs now, and no matter what, we're gonna love you and support you through everything." Jackson had walked back over to them and watched as his son soothed the little boy in front of him. It was wonderful to see and he knew that if there was anyone that could turn that little boy around, then it was him.

"K…can we go fishing now?" Tim asked shakily, making both men chuckle loudly. Gibbs patted the small cheek and nodded before picking up the discarded gear and changing direction so that they could walk around the lake happily.

***NCIS***

Shannon carried Kelly into the house and laid her down on the sofa so she could go and get the shopping bags. The little girl had fallen asleep as soon as they had set off from the shops and had only stirred briefly as she carried her inside. Once she got back in the house and set down her bags, she realized that the men hadn't arrived home yet and frowned hoping that everything was all right. She was pulled out of her musings by excited chatter as they all bounded through the door looking red faced from the cold, but happy. Tim saw Shannon standing there and ran over to her.

"Mom, I caught a fish. It was only small but I got one!" he chattered on as she crouched to take off his winter gear.

"That's good, Honey. You're frozen." She chuckled warmly and shook her head. "How about some hot chocolate to warm you all up?"

"Yes please. Can I go put my jammies on?"

"Sure, Honey. Go on…" Tim ran to the stairs and started to climb. "Don't forget to put your bed socks on too. You need to get warm"

"I will." He replied and carried on. She turned to the two men and grinned.

"He had fun."

"Yeah. Did you know he was scared of heights?" Gibbs asked as he shucked his coat and hung it up on the hook. "He freaked out when he got to the fence that overlooked the lake because it was so damn high. I had no idea he'd react that way and I gotta be honest with ya here, Shan, I'd like to know what happened to make him so scared."

Shannon nodded her head with a frown. "Sometimes, phobia's like that don't have a reason, honey. You want me to talk to him?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Nah, I'll do it. I know there's not always a reason, but damn, you should have seen him. His eyes…there was more than fear in there."

"I'm sorry…." A small voice reached them and they all turned to see Tim standing there on the stairs in his pyjama's. "I didn't want to…I…"

"Come here." Gibbs said softly and met Tim half way. He picked him up and carried him to the living room. "Shan, can you take Kelly?" Kelly stirred at the sound of her father's voice and smiled when she saw Tim sitting there on his knee.

"Daddy! Timmy you're home! Mommy, can I give Tim his present now?"

Shannon moved to the couch and smoothed down the bedraggled curls. "Sure, Honey, it might be a good idea." Kelly hopped off the couch and ran to the bags that still sat in the corner of the room. As she rifled through them, she pulled out a small box before running back to Tim and handing it over.

"S'for me?" Tim asked and took the present. Kelly grinned and watched as he opened it and pulled out a small watch. "Wow, it's great…Daddy, look I can read it!"

Gibbs glanced down at the watch and noticed that the small twelve hour clock ran backwards. "Huh? Shannon what's…."

"It's a left handed watch, Gibbs. I noticed that our little boy was a southpaw and struggled with reading normal clocks. A little bit of research told me everything that I needed to know."

Gibbs nodded and took the watch so that he could help Tim put it on. "Ok little man, which wrist?"

"This one." Tim answered and held out his right hand for Gibbs to slip on the watch. It was a perfect fit and didn't look out of place on the small arm. "I love it! Thank you!"

"You're very welcome, Tim." Shannon replied "Kelly, come on, let's go get you in your jammies too. I don't think we'll be going anywhere tonight and I want to make a start on Dinner."

Kelly hugged Tim and bounded after her mom and grampa as they moved out of the room. Gibbs looked down at Tim and saw him looking at the watch with wonder and awe at being given such a precious gift. "So, you're a southpaw."

"Yup. Callum al…" Tim closed off once again and hung his head.

"Nuh huh. You're gonna talk to me, Tim. I want to know what's on your mind."

"Callum hated it. He said that when he was bringed up, it was bad and he didn't want to deal with it. He never helped me, and the teachers at my old school couldn't help either. My new teacher is left handed as well, so she knows." Tim admitted with a small smile.

"Well, it's not bad. It's just different. You know where the term southpaw comes from?" Tim shook his head and settled back against his father. "Well, okay. It's a boxing term. Left hander's punch differently and the stance they take is the opposite way round. It's called the southpaw stance…"

"So they call us southpaws?" Tim asked and smiled.

"Yup. Hey, you know what, I know the perfect person who's into boxing and if you want to take it up, then he's your man."

Tim sat back up and looked at Gibbs with wide eyes. "I can…I mean, Can I? I'd like that."

"I'll speak to your mom. So Mr. what's this thing about heights?"

Tim's demeanor changed as he settled back against his dad again. "I just don't like them." He said sulkily.

"There a reason?"

"Yeah Callum….He built us a tree house because he said it'd be good for us and then…" Tim sniffled once and shook his head. "He let us up there and then took the ladder away so we couldn't get down. It was cold and Mommy was away and he left us there all night. I 'member Sarah crying coz she was scared so I told her I'd get the ladders."

Gibbs sat there horrified at what he was being told. Who in their right mind would leave two young children up a tree house overnight…damn, he really wanted to stick a bullet through that bastard's brain right about now. "What happened?" He asked, not liking where this was going.

"I…I started to climb down but fell and broke my arm." Tim held out his left arm and showed Gibbs where he'd broken it. He could just make out a slight curve where the break had been, but wouldn't have known any different if Tim hadn't pointed it out.

"Did he take you to the hospital?"

"No, he heard me scream and ran out…he was drunk and grabbed my arm and yanked it. I had to go to sleep so that the doctors could fix it. He just hit me and told me to stop whining. Mommy took me to the hospital when she got home but when I woke up she had a bruise here." He touched Gibbs' face just underneath his right eye. "He wasn't happy and left Sarah up there. I…I don't like anything high now."

Gibbs shook his head and let a stray tear roll down his face. This kid had been through so much and yet, right now he was happy and loving. It made no sense. With a sigh, he nuzzled his cheek on top of Tim's head and sat there holding him lovingly because there were no words that could take away the pain of the lingering memories. All he could do was be his father; someone he could depend on and look to when he needed it. He started to rock gently when Tim's sniffles increased and sat there until the tears ran dry and the small figure went limp in his arms, letting him know that he'd cried himself to sleep.

"Hey, everything okay?" Jackson asked as he walked in carrying a mug of coffee for Gibbs, and a hot chocolate for Tim. "He looks like hell son, what happened?"

"Dad, forgive me for saying this, but I wanna shoot Callum McGee and watch that man suffer for what he did to his kids…to his family." He sighed and looked down at Tim's sleeping form. "He's okay. I'm gonna put him on the couch and I'll come talk to you in the kitchen." Jackson nodded and with a worried look, walked out of the room. Gibbs Stood up and gently laid Tim down, covered him with a blanket and followed his dad out of the room with his coffee in hand. Jack turned round when Gibbs entered and watched him carefully as he sat down.

"What's going on?" The older Gibbs demanded. "That boy has been through the mill, I get that, but there's something there, Leroy. Something that's got you all knotted up inside."

Gibbs nodded and signed. "His damn father has him scared to say anything. The kid doesn't think he has a right to be loved or have someone there to talk to. You know, he just told me his father…"

"I heard. Sorry son, but I was standing outside the door listening in." Jackson admitted sadly.

"Glad you did. Save's me repeating it and you know Shannon's gonna want to know what's going on."

Jackson nodded and sat down opposite. "So the question is, what are you going to do about it?"

The loaded question had Gibbs wondering what his father was getting at and he narrowed his eyes before answering carefully. "What do you expect me to do about it?"

"Once you get those papers signed, you make sure that Callum McGee doesn't get within a mile of Tim. You make sure he never sees him again boy, because even though he's doing better, he's got a ways to go. You promise me you'll do what you can, Leroy."

"That's a given, Dad. If I had my way, I'd walk that son of a bitch out to the desert and shoot him in the head, but I know that it's not the right thing to do. Tim'll never forgive me and I don't want that cloud hanging over my family."

Shannon walked in at that moment and pointed her finger at her husband. "You make sure that that particular cloud stays away Gibbs. I won't have you killing for the sake of killing. Not cold-blooded murder…no matter how much the person deserves it. You've got me and your three children to think of now, don't forget that."

Gibbs glared at his wife before caving completely. "I know, Shan. Trust me, I kno….huh? Three? Shan, we've got two."

Shannon grinned and sat on her husband's knee. "We did have two. I bought a test while we were out and it looks like you're gonna be a daddy again."

Jackson just about choked on his tea and stood there trying not to grin like a cheshire cat. "You're…."

"I'm pregnant. I suspected, but I didn't think it could be possible because we'd tried for so long. Obviously it is…either that or Tim is our good luck charm. I just want to say, that this is wonderful, but Tim is still a part of this family and always will be. I'm not giving that boy up."

Gibbs rested his hand on Shannon's stomach and sat there gazing at it with amazement. She was pregnant! He really couldn't ask for more at the moment and felt truly blessed that his family…the family that he thought Tim had completed…was going to grow. This baby would just add to their blessings. "I'm…"

"I know, sweetheart. Don't talk yet; you know it took you a while with Kelly." Jackson laughed loudly at his beloved daughter –in- law's comment and shook his head. A big family was the one thing he wanted when Leroy's mother was alive, but she'd started to hemorrhage when his son was born and the following hysterectomy put a stop to their dreams. They were happy though, just the three of them and by the time they had decided to adopt, Alice was diagnosed with cancer and passed away six months later.

"What are you thinking about Dad?" Shannon asked softly.

"That I'm sorry we couldn't have a big family and Leroy was an only child. I'm…you don't know how happy I am right now. I've got my big family and I just wish Alice was here to see it." A tear trailed down the older man's face and he shook his head. "Ignore me, I'm an old fool."

"No. You're not, Dad." Gibbs soothed. "Shan, where's Kelly?"

"Asleep in bed." She answered and stood up to grab herself a drink. "Why?"

"Sit down. I wanna talk to you." She sat down and listened carefully as Gibbs told her what had happened. By the end of it, she had started to come round to her husband's way of thinking and hoped that Callum McGee, would meet an untimely end.

***NCIS***

Amy sat in her office reading the file that had been handed to her and felt the anger rise from deep within. Not only had Callum tried to poison his son with something that he was deathly allergic to, he was now filing a petition against the Gibbs family adopting the boy. In the letter that now sat in his file, his lawyer had outlined the circumstances and had shed everyone involved in a bad light. With a heavy sigh, she flicked through the rest of the file that they kept on Timothy McGee and started to read the kids medical history. In seven and a half years, he had a thicker medical record than a child that had been born with some kind of medical condition or had developed cancer young on. In fact, the only time she'd seen a file this thick, was on the numerous cases of child abuse that she'd fought and one each time.

She grabbed her pen and pad and started to make notes so that she could go to the lawyers in the afternoon armed to the teeth with stuff that would make it easier to get Tim away from his father. She started to write the date and realized that she had yet to buy her Christmas presents. It was always the same, come the beginning of December, she never did do what she'd planned too. She turned back to her handwritten report and started to write.

Date: 1 December 1993  
>Social worker: Amy Davis<br>Name of Child: Timothy McGee  
>Date of birth: 15 November 1986<br>Age: 7 Years old

She looked at the date and remembered the day she took Tim out for his birthday. He'd been excited about going out…well, as excited as he got back then…and had enjoyed every single minute of his day. They didn't do much, just a trip to McDonalds and a movie, but that was enough for him, and the smile on his face at the end of it made her smile.

Tim has had a turbulent childhood starting from a young age. The medical records show that the first visit to the ER occurred when he was six months old and reports that he suffered from two cracked ribs and bruises to his arms and legs. He was hospitalized for two weeks and released back into his parents care after initial interviews revealed that the handles on the moses basket snapped as it was carried down the stairs with Tim inside.

There was no more involvement by Social Services at that time. There were reports by neighbors and people close to the family about Callum McGee's temper and drinking habits, but another visit by colleagues didn't broker enough evidence to start an investigation…..

Amy sat there for two hours writing her report and she managed to get through 57 pages of handwritten material before she finally got to the part about Tim's mother and sister dying. That took a further hour to write and even then, she could have written more.

It was awful to write about everything that the little boy had been through, and she was left reeling with the fact that the McGee family had hung on to the kids by a thread and each time had an explanation for what had happened. What she couldn't get her head around, was the fact that no one pushed or looked further into the situation; if it had been her, then she would have dug further but it looked like the fact that Callum McGee was ex-Navy held weight with the people she worked with, dishonorably discharged or not. She shook herself out of her stupor and signed off her report before sealing it in an envelope and placing it on her PA's desk. Sandra would get it typed up in no time tomorrow and she had every faith, that she'd be able to go in there with the ammunition she needed.

A glance at the clock, told her that it was seven thirty pm and that it was way past her hometime, he only problem was, she had a call to make first and it was one that she wasn't looking forward to at all. She pulled out her phone and dialed the number with a heavy heart.

***NCIS***

Jackson sat down reading to Tim and loved the way his grandson sat there with his little elbow propped on his leg so that he could support his head. It was something he had soon come to enjoy and even though reading to Tim was something he'd only done a couple of times, it was something that was so special, that it made his heart soar.

"Grampa?" Tim asked when they reached the end of the chapter and the older man marked he page with a bookmark. "Why's there two marks in there?"

Jackson chuckled lightly and leaned over to place the book on the arm of the chair. "Well, Tim. I've never read these books and sitting here reading to you got me interested in them. So I read a little bit further on last night and marked my place. I don't know what I'm going to do when you go home; guess I'll have to order the full set."

"Nuh huh. You coming for Christmas?" Tim sat up on his knees and shuffled round so that he could sit in Jackson's lap.

"I don't know, son. I haven't really thought that far ahead." He replied with a rueful smile. "Guess it's something I need to talk to your mom and dad about."

"I can tell 'em. Please Grampa…you'll come?" Tim's excitement was infectious and Jackson decided then, that he couldn't let the little tyke down.

"Come where?" Shannon asked as she walked into the room with Gibbs and Kelly. "What're you two plotting?"

"Mommy, can Grampa come for Christmas? Please?" Tim begged from where he sat. Gibbs and Shannon laughed loudly when Kelly jumped with glee and joined in.

"I don't think you've got a choice there, Dad." Gibbs said through a chuckle and shook his head. "So what do you say? Come to Washington and spend the festive season with us?"

Jackson nodded his head and grinned. "How can an old man refuse when you all put it so nicely?"

The phone rang and Gibbs moved to answer it. "Yeah, Gibbs...hang on….Hey! Kids, I'm on the phone." Kelly and Tim settled down with Jackson and the younger man gave them all the thumbs up. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, Gibbs. Sorry to disturb you at Jack's house, but there's something I need to discuss with you. Can you talk without the kids there?"

Gibbs frowned and turned to look at Shannon. "Oh hey, Ames. Sure thing, give me a sec….Dad, can you take those two into the kitchen to make hot chocolate?"

Jackson eyed his son warily and nodded. "No problem, son." The silent question of whether everything was okay was left hanging in the air. Gibbs nodded at his father and watched as they padded out of the room. He felt Shannon's hand rest on his shoulder as he turned back to the phone.

"Okay, talk to me. What's goin' on Ames."

"Gibbs, I'm really sorry. Callum McGee has filed a petition against you adopting Tim. I've just spent the past few hours going through the file and putting together a case report that I can take to our lawyer's tomorrow afternoon. I've got a separate report on his family's death…well, that and police reports. I'm going to fight this, Gibbs."

Gibbs blew out a breath and glanced towards the kitchen when he heard the tinkling sound of childrens' laughter coming from both his kids. "Ames, he can't have him. You got that! He can't have him. He's ours and he deserves better than what that bastard will ever give him."

Shannon took the phone away from her beloved husband when his voice cracked slightly at the end. It was unusual for him to show so much emotion, but she'd seen it before and knew that he was in turmoil. "Amy, hey it's Shannon."

"Hi. You heard?"

"Little bits. What do we have to do?" Shannon asked softly. She didn't want to do anything that would feed the shit storm that was brewing and decided that the best course of action, would be to play it by the book.

"Right now? Nothing. Let me handle it though you should both be prepared for you, Gibbs and Tim being called to court if it gets that far."

"If that's what it takes. Right now, Tim's in the kitchen with Dad making hot chocolate, so we're going to go enjoy our time with him."

She heard Amy's warm laughter on the other end of the phone and couldn't help but smile. "I'm jealous…hey, Shannon. Take care of our boy. Don't let him get upset by this."

Shannon didn't know how to answer because she'd go the ends of the earth to make sure Callum McGee didn't get his hands on his son, but the fact of the matter was, his fate was not out of their hands. "I will. Get some sleep tonight, Ames. I know you, and know you won't stop fighting for Tim."

"I will. Night Shannon. Say goodnight to Kelly and your men for me."

Shannon said her goodbyes and handed he phone back to Gibbs. There were no words that could convey how the couple were feeling right now and so, they were left with no option but to push it back, and go enjoy time with their family. With a heavy sigh, Shannon watched as Gibbs put the phone on the table and sat back with tight lips and a heavy frown. He'd shut off; shut down completely and when he got like this, it took a small miracle to draw him out of himself. She sat down in his lap and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey you." She said gently and kissed his temple gently. "How're you doing?"

Gibbs simply shook his head and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Don't do this. Don't let our boy see you upset because he doesn't deserve it."

"I know Shan. But that…why is he doing this? Why doesn't he just let Tim go because he doesn't love him and sure as hell doesn't love him."

Shannon sat there for a moment before answering. "I know. We'll fight. We'll win…."

"Mom…Dad…." Tim's voice penetrated through their shocked fog and they both looked up to see him standing at the door with a mug of hot chocolate nursed in his small hands. "You want some?"

Shannon chuckled and nodded her head hoping that the tension she felt in her husband's frame would dissipate soon so as not to alert Tim to the situation. "That would be perfect, Sweetie. Hey, Come on over here and sit with me."

Tim moved and sat down on the couch next to his mom and Dad, and handed over the drink with a smile. "Kelly's bringing you your…what did Grampa call it? Oh yeah!" Tim bounced where he sat. "Sludge."

Gibbs couldn't help but laugh loudly at that and reached over to ruffle his son's hair. "Wouldn't be far from the truth…and" He started to shout through. "Grampa better not let Kelly carry that!"

"Leroy, I've got your sludge here. Kelly's got her hot chocolate." Kelly walked just ahead of her grandfather carry her mug carefully. "Boy, how can you drink this?"

"Easily. Thanks Dad." Gibbs replied with a tight smile and took a drink of his coffee. "Perfect. That's just the way I like it. So…"

Jackson frowned at the look on his son's face and knew that there was something bothering him. "You're welcome. Everything alright?"

"Yeah. We'll talk later." Gibbs said quietly from where he watched Tim and Kelly sitting on the beanbags that Jackson had bought them before they arrived. Both kids looked happy and content just sitting there talking and laughing, and it strengthened the belief they all had that Tim wasn't just another foster child, he was Kelly's brother and his little girl adored him. "Hey, kids, it's getting late. How about you two drink your chocolate and go get ready for bed?"

"Awww…can we stay up a little longer? Please Daddy." Kelly asked and jumped up to go and hug her father. "It's only…." She looked at the clock but frowned when the second hand seemed to be frozen in time. She turned her gaze to her brother. "Tim?"

"Um…it's…seven thirty." Tim replied after glancing at his new left- handed watch.

The offer was so warm and caring, that Kelly didn't seem to take it as Tim putting her down, in fact, her reaction was quite the opposite. "Thanks, Timmy."

"Can we stay up? Please, just a little longer?" Tim joined in on the begging with a smile, leaving all three adults sitting there beaming and giggling.

"Tell you what. You kids go get ready for bed…and that means washing, brushing teeth….and we'll watch a movie. You've both got your jammies on, so try not to get them wet, okay? I have it on good authority that your Dad packed Beethoven so I guess you could watch that if…if…you go to bed afterwards."

Shannon giggled loudly when two whirlwind barreled into her and hugged her tightly. This was what it was all about. The here and now. The moments that you cherish, and hold onto tightly because you never know what's around the corner.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Their time with Jackson was too short and it took everything Shannon and Gibbs had, to get the kids off of their grandfather and into the car. They'd decided to leave later on in the day, so that they'd arrive home at around 9pm, but it had been worth it to give their children a little bit of extra time with their beloved relative.

Gibbs pulled up outside their house after the long journey, and cut the engine before looking around at his family. Shannon was sleeping peacefully with her head resting against the window, and both Tim and Kelly were once again huddled under the blanket that they had put in the car for that reason. With a soft sigh, he reached over and gently caressed Shannon's face.

"Hey, Honey we're home."

"Huh?" She asked and opened her eyes before smiling softly. "Sorry Sweetie, guess I fell asleep again. How was the journey?"

He huffed out an affectionate chuckle and winked. "Lonely but nice and quiet. Come on, you and the kids need to get to bed."

"You do too, Gibbs. Don't you think I'm letting you go down into the basement to work on that boat at this time of night." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before whispering in his ear lovingly. "Besides, I want you with me tonight."

"You do? Damn, I wanted to finish the sign and then I need to varni…"

"Don't even think about Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Tonight you are going to help me carry our tired children to bed, and then you are going to come and lay with your wife." Shannon's stern, quiet voice whispering in his ear made him chuckle. He leaned in and kissed her gently before reaching down to unclip his seatbelt.

"As if that was ever in question. Come on, let's get these two tucked in. You think they'll wake up?"

"Kelly, definitely. Tim? Probably not. The boy will sleep through anything. I've never known anybody to do that." Shannon looked back at her two angels and sighed contentedly. "Could we really ask for anything more?"

Gibbs nodded and hummed a brief 'um hmm' before looking at his wife. "Signed adoption papers and a restraining order against Callum McGee for the rest of Tim's life."

Shannon reached up to cup his cheek and leaned in to kiss Gibbs. This was her husband wearing his heart on his sleeve and she loved the fact that she was one of the few people, that got to see it. It was a rarity, but one that only she seemed to see and understand in its entirety. For that, she felt blessed and found herself falling deeper and deeper in love with the man she married every time he let his walls crumble.

*****NCIS*****

Shannon walked down stairs and stopped on the bottom step at the sight of Gibbs looking through a dossier of some kind. She'd seen them before and only hoped that it meant he wouldn't be going into work tonight.

"Gibbs, no. Not tonight, Honey." She pleaded gently and moved to stand in front of him. "Please."

"It's not a case, Shan. It's a copy of Amy's report. I…Damn it! I wanna rip that bastard's heart out and watch as the light leaves his malicious, evil eyes." The vehemence and hatred in Gibbs' voice shook Shannon to the core. It wasn't often she'd seen it, but when she did, she was reminded of the fact that Gibbs was more than capable of taking down the people who screwed with his loved ones. The fact that he'd admitted to putting a bullet in a man's head when he'd killed his team mate and best friend in cold blood, was proof enough. She never held it against him, in fact she applauded him, but the fact remained, that when the people Gibbs loved most were hurt, it sent a red hot fury shooting through him that was dangerous.

Shannon's heart sunk and she reached over to take the file so that she could read what had made Gibbs see red. The page she read, brought tears to her eyes and the more abuse and pain that her son went through on the pages, broke her heart. She hated the fact that what she was reading was only the tip of the iceberg and her her son had suffered all those years, at the hands of Callum McGee. She had to admit though, Amy had done a brilliant job of putting the report together and knew that it would take a heartless judge to send Tim back to the monster that was his biological father and in her eyes, nothing but a sperm doner.

"Honey, don't cry. In a sad, twisted way, this report is good because it helps us in more than one way." Shannon looked up into the crystal blue eyes that she loved and frowned with confusion at his statement. "Hey, he won't get Tim if this report is anything to go by and we know what we're dealing with. We can do it, so I want you to put that file down and go on up to bed. I'll be up in a minute."

"Come with me now?" she asked gently, needing the connection somehow and feeling like she didn't' want to be alone right now with her heartache. Gibbs pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.

"Just need to go to the kitchen. I'll be right up sweetheart. Don't worry, I won't be far behind." He watched as Shannon nodded once and started walking up the stairs with hunched shoulders that seemed to carry the weight of the world on them. This wasn't how it was supposed to be and he hated the fact that she was so upset and broken, especially now she was in the early stages of pregnancy. He sighed heavily and walked into the kitchen so he could get the one thing that always cheered her up, and followed her so that they could be together and connect in a way that they both really needed right now.

"Hey." He said as he walked in and held up the Ben and Jerry's cherry Garcia ice cream that seemed to hold permanent residence in their freezer. "Thought you could do with some comfort food and I got ice cream. Sure as hell know I could do with some."

Shannon smiled wanly and nodded. "Ice cream is a good comfort food. I'm half tempted to wake the kids and get them to come in and share."

"Nah, let them sleep and you know they only like chocolate. This one is just for us." Gibbs sat on the bed and opened the tub before spooning out a bit and placing the spoon gently against Shannon's soft, beautiful lips. She opened her mouth and let him spoon the frozen treat in before leaning over and kissing him fully. When she pulled back, her eyes glistened with the tears of love and heartbreak at the days to come.

"Whatever happens, I love you, I love Kelly and I love Tim. Nothing can ever take that away. I want you to know that." She said softly with a shaky voice.

"Missing someone out there, Shan." Gibbs laid a gentle hand on her stomach and smiled. "And I love you all too."

She put her hand over his and that night, they managed to reaffirm their love despite the pain and fear that they shared. They connected in a way that they probably wouldn't be able to do for a while and made every last moment, matter.

*****NCIS*****

Callum McGee sat in his lawyer's office and glanced around the room. It wasn't the high flying digs that he'd expected, but truth be told, it was all he could afford since his last indiscretion with the law and now, every last bit of spare money had coming in was going on the lawyers and his booze.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. McGee. I had to go and sign for something that had been delivered to our receptionist." James Hernandez walked in and held out his hand for Callum to shake. It took a moment, but the obviously tipsy man reached out and shook it shakily.

"That's okay. I take it you read my emails regarding the case?"

"I did." James sat down and pulled out a file before reading through it. "I will admit, and I'm sorry to say this, but the evidence that I have from the other party doesn't look good. The Social Services Children's Services report itself is damning to a fault and sheds you in a questionable light."

Callum narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Does it now? Look, I want my son back. He's all I have left and I'll fight tooth and nail to get him. All I want you to do is to make that possible or at least give it the best shot you can."

James sat back in his chair and took a moment to look over Callum McGee. He took in the tremors and the blood shot eyes and knew that the man was itching to have a drink. With a heavy sigh, he nodded his head before leaning forward on his desk. "I understand that, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't lay the facts out on the table. Now, understand you want it over and done with relatively quickly."

"Yes, Sir, I do."

"When were you thinking?"

Callum cocked his head and huffed out a laugh. "How about a week's time? That good for you?"

The lawyer narrowed his eyes. "It isn't down to me, Mr. McGee. I can file the papers, but ultimately the courts will decide when the hearing will be. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll read through the files a little bit more and would like to talk to you tomorrow once I've had a chance. When that's done, I'll file with the courts and will mark it as urgent. Hopefully that will get them moving forward on giving us a date."

"That sounds like a plan, so if we're done here?"

James stood up and nodded. "I believe we are." He held out his hand and waited for Callum to take it. "I shall see you tomorrow. Speak to my secretary on the way out to arrange an appointment and we will do everything in our power to get your son back for you."

"Thanks." Callum pulled his hand back and made his way out of the office knowing that he needed a drink, and soon if he was going to stop the withdrawal symptoms kicking in. They were coming in faster now and he knew that the half bottle of vodka he'd drank before coming should have seen him through the day. As it stood now, it barely got him through the brief meeting.

*****NCIS*****

Gibbs woke up to a small hand shaking him and opened his eyes blearily. It was still dark, so he knew that he couldn't have been asleep long and rolled onto his back to see Tim's small outline framed by the moonlight that filtered through the gap in the curtains.

"Hey, Tim. Everything okay?" He asked and sat up gently so as not to wake his wife. "What're you doing out of bed little man?"

"Da…daddy, I'm sorry. I di…didn't mean to." Gibbs frowned at the tears and swung his legs round slowly so he was perched on the bed. He sighed softly when Shannon reached over and turned on the light and turned to smile at her softly. Once the room was light enough to see, he turned back to Tim and looked him over, noticing the tear stained, red face and the tell-tale signs that the small boy had wet himself.

"Ah, Tim. It's okay. What's wrong, did you have a nightmare?" He asked gently and reached ot to pull Tim into a hug to soothe him. He had a fleeing thought that it was a good job they'd had the hindsight to put on a pair of pajamas before hand, and frowned at the acrid smell of urine that assaulted him. No kid should go through this, and right now he was out of his depth. He decided to go with his instinct and just be a father to a child that so desperately needed something as simple, and basic as love.

"Y…yeah. Cal…Callum wa…." Tim's sobs increased and he felt Shannon stand up and walk to the ensuite bathroom so that she could start the bath running. It wasn't long before she was back and kneeling beside Tim so that she could rub her hand gently up and down his back.

"Hey honey. How about you let Daddy get you cleaned up and I'll go and sort your bed out?" She looked deep in to the terrified green eyes and frowned. "He's not here, Tim. He can't hurt you here sweetheart."

Tim nodded and let Gibbs pick him up so that he could be carried to the bathroom. Gibbs gently stripped him down and lifted him gently into the warm water where he could be cleaned up and comforted by the man, he now knew and loved as his father.

*****NCIS*****

Shannon turned the light on in Tim's bedroom and looked at the bed. There were tell-tale signs that he had been tossing and turning before his body betrayed him and the paralyzing fear made him loose control of his bladder. As she drew near, something caught her eye on the floor and it took her a moment to realize exactly what it was.

"Oh no. Tim, why?" She asked as she bent down and picked up the file. "Sweetie, you wasn't supposed to see that. That wasn't for you."

With a heavy heart, she picked up the file that Amy had dropped off and placed it on the nightstand so she could strip the bed and do what she could for the mattress. There was no way Tim could sleep in here tonight because it was soaked through and she knew from Kelly's accidents early on, that it would take a while to dry out. She picked up the soiled linen and made her way downstairs to the laundry room so she could set them going, before making her way back up stairs. She took a detour to Tim's room to pick up the file she had left and made her way back to her bedroom only to see Gibbs putting a clean pair of pajamas on a solemn and emotionally exhausted looking Tim.

"Tim, sweetheart did you read this?" She said as she sat down next to Gibbs. Tim eyed the file and blushed before starting to shy away from his parents. "No, no Tim. You're not in trouble, so don't think that. We just need to know what you read."

Tim sucked in a huge breath to try and stop the tears that were threatening. "I…I was thirsty so went and got some m…milk. It was on the counter and I saw my name on it. I'm sorry….I know it was wrong…I'm sorry…." Tim dissolved into a fresh bout of tears that damn near broke their hearts.

"Damn it!..." Gibbs stopped at his wife's glare and sighed heavily. "You have nothing to apologize for Tim. It's my fault because I left it there before we went to bed. We just didn't want you to read that, that's all. You have and there's nothing we can do about that now."

Shannon nodded her agreement and brushed his curls away from his forehead. "Sweetie, are you tired?"

Tim nodded through stuttered sobs that were finally calming down enough for him to breath.

"Okay Honey. You can't sleep in your bed tonight so how about you jump in with your mom and dad so we can keep you safe." Tim's eyes widened as he stood there amazed that these two people would do that for him. Truth be told, he wanted nothing more than to curl up with them and let them comfort and protect him. He nodded slightly and stood there waiting because he was unsure of what to do.

"Hey. It's okay." Gibbs said matter of factly. "There's nothing that can hurt you here, so come on. Let's get some sleep before Kelly comes in and wakes us up."

Tim smiled and climbed into the bed. He decided that dead centre was the best bet and lay there waiting for his mom and dad to lay down and cocoon him in their safety and warmth. Shannon giggled warmly and moved to her side of the bed. "Ok, so you wanna sleep between us huh?"

Tim nodded and sighed happily when they lay down and he was pulled into Shannon's arms. It wasn't long before he settled in with his head on her chest and his small arm draped over her waist.

"He's asleep already?" Gibbs asked from where he was lying on his side looking at them. Shannon looked down and smiled.

"Looks like it. Gibbs he…."

"I know Shan. It's my fault and I'll talk to him tomorrow. He knows what Callum is trying to do now, so we'll need to do damage control."

Shannon nodded and sighed heavily. "We should sleep."

Gibbs turned out the lights and settled down beside them. "Yeah. Goodnight honey. I love you."

"I love you too." She replied with so much love and affection that it infused every inch of Gibbs.

With that, they dropped off into an unsettled sleep, hoping that tomorrow would dawn a brighter day with more hope for the future.

*****NCIS*****

Breakfast was a busy affair as always, and as the kids sat there waiting, Shannon noticed how subdued Tim was. It was strange to see him this way again and it was almost as if he'd reverted back to the way he was when he arrived.

"Ok boys and girls, OJ or apple juice." She said happily to try and diffuse the tension.

"OJ, Mommy." Kelly replied happily, but all she got out of Tim was a shrug as he continued to gaze at a spot on the table in front of him.

"Tim. What do you prefer?"

"OJ, please." He replied quietly. Gibbs walked in dressed and ready for the day, and frowned at Shannon but his wife just shook her head and turned back to the pancakes that she was making.

"Hey, kids. How're you doing today?" He asked and stopped to kiss them both on the top of their heads.

"Daddy! Mommy's making choc chip pancakes..yay!"

Gibbs chuckled at Kelly, but knew that the pancakes were a treat to try and cheer Tim up. "I see that. Tim, you okay, son?"

"Ye...yes Sir." Tim replied softly but didn't move an inch to try and look at Gibbs. The older man walked round and sat in the chair next to Tim. "I've been thinking. Kelly's been to work with me a few times, so how about you come on in with me today? You don't have to be at school till tomorrow anyway."

Kelly bounced and turned to Tim. "Go! You'll love it! It's really fun and Unca Mike is there and Leon and…."

For the first time that morning, Tim looked up at Kelly and smiled. It wasn't a rueful smile, but a genuinely warm smile that they'd soon become accustomed too. Gibbs reached over and placed his large hand on the small shoulder.

"So. How about it, son?"

Tim tore his gaze away from Kelly and looked at Gibbs with hope in his eyes. "Can I wear your cap?"

"Sure can." He said as he moved to pick the cap up from where he'd put it down with his coat so he could put it on the small boys head. It was too big, so Gibbs adjusted it slightly at the back so that it fit better. Shannon watched them both and felt relief flood through her at the change in Tim's demeanor.

"Alright. So pancakes, coffee and then we're off." Shannon walked over to him and kissed him softly on the lips as she placed a plate of pancakes down.

"Thank you." She said warmly and watched as they all took one of the chocolate treats and dug in with gusto.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Tim watched the scenery pass by as his Dad drove to work. He had to admit that the excitement was growing with every passing minute and when they pulled into the security gate, it was all he could do not to sit there and bounce in his seat.

"Hey, Gibbs. So, that's the new addition is it?" Bert, a kindly southern man grinned warmly at Tim and stuck his large hand through the window. "And you must be Tim. I've heard a lot about ya young man. I'm Bert."

Tim grasped the huge hand and smiled when Bert shook it gently. "Hey Bert."

"So, you're here to see what your Daddy does huh…well that should be easy. He doesn't do a lot." Bert chuckled when Gibbs smacked him gently on the head.

"Don't you listen to him. He's the joker of the yard and will be wearing a new uniform if he carries on."

Bert looked down at his Khaki's and grinned. "I like my navy get up, so I'm gonna go and let you in. Hey, Gibbs don't forget you owe me a coffee."

"Sure thing. I'll get you one when I go." Bert waved and opened the gate to let them through. "Thanks Bert."

The guard saluted at Tim and Gibbs chuckled as Tim waved happily. They made their way into the parking lot and pulled into Gibbs' normal spot. "Okay, here we are. Hey, if we're quiet I'll take you down to the river so you can have a look. It's nice down there and we have the Barry there as well."

"What's the Barry?"

"It's a decommissioned warship that's permanently docked. You can go on it if you want."

Tim shook his head. "I'll just go look, Daddy."

Gibbs nodded and stepped out of the car so he could go round and open Tim's door. "Right little man. Before we go in, there's a few rules…." 

***NCIS***

Leon Vance was the most Junior agent on the MRCT team at NCIS and loved every minute of it. Even his gruff, couldn't give a rats ass boss was good to work for and he knew that if he toed the line, he could go far in his current job. He smiled at the thought of his colleagues and went back to typing up his report.

"Probie's Probie! How far along are you with that report?" Mike yelled across the office to him.

"Nearly finished, Mike." He replied happily and carried on with what he was doing. He couldn't help but grin slightly at what his two team members would find of the new system given the fact that they were pretty much old school and liked the old way of working.

"Well alright then. Get that done and then you can go out and get us all some coffee. Take the Probie with ya when he gets here."

"Yes boss." Vance replied without looking up from his screen. He got into the flow of writing his report, when a loud, deep voice boomed from the balcony above.

"Franks! My office! Now!"

"Aww shoot. Leon tell Gibbs where I am would ya and tell him to carry on with the cold cases." Vance gave a short not and tore his eyes away to watch Mike climb the stairs.

"What have you done now, Boss?"

"Morning, Leon. Talking to yourself?" Gibbs announced as he walked to his desk and put his back down. Vance hadn't noticed him walk in because he'd been so interested in the proceedings.

"Would I?" He grinned and shook his head. "Mike's just been called to Morrow's office again."

"Damn it! Why he can't just play by the rules, I don't know. Tom has him up there more than anything."

Tim frowned as he put two and two together and started to chuckle. The junior agent grinned at him and nodded his head.

"Yup, that's right; the director is called Tom Morrow. Cruel parents but he seems to like it. Now, you must be Timothy, come here and let me look at Gibbs' new addition to the family."

Tim glanced up at his dad and waited for Gibbs to give him guidance. "Go on. Go say hello, Son. He's a good man and just got married so he hasn't got kids himself yet." Tim nodded once and walked over to Vance who just grinned at him and ruffled his hair.

"Handsome little fella aren't you? So, how old are you?"

"Seven sir." Tim replied and blushed. "My birthday was in November."

"So you're a newbie to seven. Well, that's fine by me. What do you like to do?"

Gibbs watched Tim talking to Vance and knew the exact moment the kid relaxed because he started talking about the books he read with complete gusto. Gibbs sat back and watched as Vance told him what he was doing and saw a light shine in Tim's eyes when he was shown the computer.

"You like computers, Tim?" Gibbs asked from across the office

"Uh huh. Mr. Morrison's showing us how to use them. I can use them. They're easy." Tim's enthusiasm infused them all with a sense of glee and Gibbs made up his mind there and then, to talk to Shannon about investing in a family machine.

"That's goo…hang on...yeah, Gibbs." Tim watched as Gibbs answered the phone and turned his attention back to Vance.

"Do you catch the bad guys too?"

"Sure do, Tim. It's hard sometimes, but most of the time it's pretty satisfying."

"Cool. I wanna catch bad guys when I'm older. Dad says that he likes his job but Mom tells him to be careful in the morning when he leaves. Uh oh…."

Vance looked at his computer and frowned as the screen froze and crackled slightly. "Not again! Come on!" He gave the monitor a whack and laughed when Tim shook his head.

"Don't do that, do this." The young boy tapped on the keys and he watched with amazement as the computer flickered to life once again. "See, all better!"

Vance was amazed. Fixing his computer seemed almost natural to this small boy and from the little he knew of the kids background, he knew that he hadn't been at it that long. "Kid, where did you learn that?...thanks by the way."

"Welcome. Um, I dunno, I just know it…" He ran to Gibbs and rested his elbows on the arms of his dad's chair. "Whatcha doin'?"

Gibbs smiled and pushed his chair out so he could lift Tim and sit him on his knee. "Just asking some questions that needed to be asked." Tim grinned back and bounced with happiness at the sound of a familiar voice as it boomed through the squad room.

"Now I know I'm not seeing Probie's son sitting there at his desk. Damn, must have had too much to drink last night."

Tim grinned and jumped down so he could run over. "Mike! Daddy bought me to work and I helped…helped…."

"Leon." Vance replied gently and carried on typing away.

"Leon fix his computer. Daddy's gonna take me to see the Barry too and then we're gonna…huh, Dad, what are we going to do?"

Mike lifted Tim up and stood there holding him as the kid frowned with confusion.

"Well, first of all, we're gonna go and get coffee and then I'm going to show you around. Hi Tom."

"Gibbs." Tom Morrow greeted as he walked over to the team. "And who might this be?"

"Timothy Gi…McGee." Tim blushed and ducked his head. "Sorry."

Tom took Tim out of Mikes arms and stood there holding him gently. "What for? From what I've heard, you are a Gibbs so if that's the name you want to use, then son, you use it." Tim looked up into the kindly face and grinned.

"I like your name."

"I like to be unique. How about we let your dad go and get coffee while I show you MTAC. I saw you fix that computer so I know you'll like it in there. Gibbs, mines black, no sugar."

Tim nodded enthusiastically and let himself be carried away to see the sights of NCIS.

***NCIS***

Kelly was tired and wanted nothing more than to curl up on sofa and nap. She wouldn't though, not until her Dad walked through that door and she find out all about Tim's day. "Mommy! When are they gonna be home." She whined and wrinkled her nose when Shannon walked out of the kitchen with her hands on her hips.

"Now young lady, what have I told you about whining." She warned and laughed when Kelly crossed her arms and huffed. "That's not very becoming you know and if you carry on, then you won't get to see Tim because I will send you up to your room where you can sulk all you want."

"I'm sowwy…Mom, did Daddy call?"

"Yes he did. They are on their way home now, but they're going to stop off and get some dinner. I think Daddy said he's going to Alfredo's so no doubt it will be either pasta or pizza."

The door opened and Gibbs walked in carrying take out in one hand, and a slumbering little boy in his free arm. "Hey, Shan grab the food. He's heavy." He handed her the bags and shifted Tim around so that he could hold him more firmly.

"You should probably wake him up to eat. How longs he been out?" Shannon asked after she kissed Gibbs and Tim gently.

"Pretty much fell asleep on Mike's knee at work. He had to Carry Tim out to the car and buckle him in, you know, it amazes me how he doesn't wake up." Gibbs said and settled Tim down on the couch. He tapped Tim's cheek gently to coax the kid to wake up. "Hey, sleepyhead. Come on now, wake up. It's time for Dinner."

Tim opened his eyes once but soon fell asleep again. "No you don't. Eat your dinner and then you can go to bed, but I need you to wake up now, Tim."

"Daddy, just a little bit longer." Tim protested sleepily, but opened his eyes when Gibbs put him down to take off his coat.

"Nope."

"We're home? Where's Mike?" Tim looked around and saw Kelly sitting there swinging her legs over the edge of the couch. "Hi Kelly."

"Hi Tim. You have fun?"

Tim nodded and yawned loudly. "Daddy, I wanna go to bed."

Shannon walked in with the plate and shook her head. "You'd rather go to bed than eat Pizza and pasta?"

Tim seemed to mull over the question and shook his head. "Nope. I can go after."

She settled the plates down and brought in the takeaway. She'd decided to forgo formality tonight and they all enjoyed a comfortable Dinner where Tim told him all about his day and Kelly giggled beside him. Half an hour later, both kids went upstairs to put on the Pajama's so that they could watch Free Willy on Shannon's TV. Gibbs knew that he'd have to go up and carry Tim to bed, but this was what the boy needed and he sure as hell wasn't going to deny him that. Once they were gone, he helped Shannon clear up and they both settled down to watch an old black and white movie on the television.

"Ames called today." Shannon said sadly and wrapped herself around Gibbs for support. "The court case has got a date and Callum's lawyer has requested that Tim be put on the stand."

Gibbs growled and sat up fully before glaring at his wife. "What? Shan, you have got to be kidding, there's no way in hell I'm putting Tim through that!"

Shannon sighed heavily and reached over to grasp Gibbs' hand. "Me neither, but she seems to think it's a good idea. I have to say, I agree but I know it's going to be hard for him. Ames seems to think that the Jury will be able to hear things from Tim's point of view and will look at the case differently once they see the fear in Tim's eyes when he sees that bastard."

This was not acceptable; sure, it would be great for the case, but to put Tim through that? That wasn't something that he was willing to do, especially when his kid had nightmares from just reading the file. "No!" he answered vehemently and stood up to go and get a beer. Shannon followed him into the kitchen and leaned on the counter.

"I know how you feel, but this might be the best way. I mean, look at him. He's come on leaps and bounds and Ames said he could do it behind a screen with one of us there as long as the judge can see what we're doing. They're not out to hurt him, they're out for getting the best solution possible."

"And we can be there?" Gibbs asked gruffly and opened his bottle of Budweiser. "Shan, I'm not happy with this. I know what a malicious son of a bitch that guy can be and it breaks my heart knowing how he affects Tim like this. You know what he nearly said at work today?"

Shannon narrowed her eyes and cocked her head with interest. "Go on."

"Tom asked him what his name was, and Tim nearly answered Timothy Gibbs. He stopped himself and had to correct it to McGee. He wants nothing to do with him and I'll be damned if I'm letting an old sop like that get his hands on my son."

He moved back into the living room and sank down heavily on the edge of the sofa. "When?"

"Friday." Shannon replied softly and climbed in behind her husband so she could massage his shoulders. "Not long, and he'll be ours."

"You sure about that?"

"More than sure. I'll do anything to keep him, and if it means putting him through the wringer, then so be it. He's got us and he's got his sister so let's fight for what we believe in and bring that boy home a true Gibbs on Friday."

Gibbs huffed out a small laugh and shook his head. "Wish I had your faith, Shan. That's why I love ya so much you know, you keep me grounded."

Shannon wrapped her arms around his shoulders and sat there holding him while he let the first tears of despair, roll down his face. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it was best to let him ride out the storm and come back to her more relaxed with the release of emotions.

***NCIS***

Amy sat in the small side room at the court house on Friday, with the Gibbs family, Mike and Ducky, and knew that sending Tim to live with them, was one of the best decisions she had made. Tim for his part, had been so subdued, that they were all worried that he would clam up completely on the stand.

"Hey, Tim. You know what you have to do, right?" Amy asked and watched as Tim nodded. "Don't be afraid, your Dad will be there with you and we won't let anyone ask you anything that hasn't been approved. You just need to answer honestly and openly."

Tim nodded and looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "I don't wanna go with him."

The simple statement shook them all and it took a while for anyone to answer through their constricted throats. Gibbs moved forward and knelt down in front of the small boy. "We won't let him, Tim. If it doesn't work, then I'll fight this and you will soon be back with us."

Tim seemed to fall forward bonelessly with a loud sob that reverberated around the room. Gibbs caught him and held him tight knowing that there was going to be a wet patch on his shoulder, but he couldn't find it in himself to care; all that mattered, was that Tim went up there with the belief, that people loved him and would always be there if he needed them.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Tim sat between Shannon and Gibbs waiting for his turn on the stand. He had to be brave and he knew that, the only problem was, he wasn't sure he could be. With every passing minute, his nerves were getting more and more frayed as the ticking of the clock resounded loudly in the room that they had been settled in. He was fast losing the battle for bravery and felt himself shaking as he sat there between the two people he loved dearly. An arm wrap around his shoulders lovingly making him feel instantly grounded and safe.

"Tim. You gotta be strong, okay? Just answer the questions they ask and don't be afraid. We're always gonna be here for you." Gibbs said gently and frowned when his new son nodded with wide, shocked eyes. This was hard on everyone and he only wished he could take the pain away from the young boy. They all started when the door opened and one of the court bailiffs walked in.

"Excuse me. Timothy McGee has been called to the stand. I understand there are extenuating circumstances, so if you would follow me, I'll show you where to go."

Tim looked at the strange man before him before physically shrinking into the gap between his parents. He couldn't do this, he just couldn't…

"Honey, you've got to go on the stand if you want to stay with us. We need your help here."

"I know. Mom, what if…"

Shannon glanced down at him with moist eyes. "No what ifs baby, okay. Just when. When this is over and when you come home with us, we can all move forward. All five of us."

Tim's little head cocked to one side as he processed the information and frowned when his brain tried to figure out the anomaly. "four!"

"What's that Honey?" Shannon asked distractedly.

"Four of us. Me, Kelly, you and Daddy. Four!"

"Ma'am, Sir, we really should be going." The bailiff said gently and smiled at the family before him. As a steward of the court, he knew what the case was about and hoped to God, that this loving couple would be granted custody of that little boy.

"Okay, we're coming now." Shannon said warmly and turned to cup Tim's face. "Honey, I'm having another baby, so there'll be five of us. We'll talk about it later, alright?"

Tim's eyes widened even more and his panicked, fearful face melted slightly into a small smile. He pointed at her belly and gaped in awe for a moment. "There's a…woah, really?"

"Yes, sweetie. Now come on. The sooner you get up there, the sooner it'll be over and done with." She pressed a kiss to the top of her son's head and let Gibbs pick him up. Together, they followed the bailiff out and with every step, they felt their stomachs churn at the possibility of losing this wonderful little boy.

***NCIS***

"So, Tim…may I call you Tim?" Callum McGee's lawyer asked gently. He paused briefly and waited for the invisible figure to answer from behind the screen.

"Yes, Sir."

"Thank you. Tim, I have been talking to you father and he tells me that you ran into some trouble at school on more than one occasion."

Tim frowned from where he sat and shook his head. "No Sir. I was good."

"Really? I have your school reports here and they say you were 'underachieving and refused to talk'. Can you explain why that was?"

Tears started to prickle in the corner of Tim's eyes and it took him a moment to answer. "I…no, Sir. I wasn't allowed to be good at anything. Callu…"

"Your father deserves to be called by his title don't you think?" The lawyer interrupted.

"S…sorry. Mr. M…McGee…" Tim stammered as the stress started to wear him down.

"Dad. I was looking for Dad."

Gibbs growled from where he sat in the courtroom and shook his head.

"Nope, Gibbs is Daddy. Mr. McGee is Callum." Tim said resolutely and the strength behind his words obviously had an effect on everyone; including the judge. Shannon nudged her husband and nodded over at the judge where he sat gazing at the small figure behind the screen; obviously shocked at what the small boy had just said.

"That's my boy." Gibbs whispered before turning back to what was going on.

"Alright. Whatever you are comfortable with. Back to the school reports. They tell a story of procrastination with both class work and homework. Can you tell me why?"

"I…I wanted to do my homework, b…but Callum wouldn't let me. H…he would te…tear up my books and woul…."

"I don't believe for a second that your father would do that." The lawyer chuckled harshly. Amy's lawyer stood up and shot her opponent a dirty look.

"He…my teacher cou…couldn't deal with a southpaw. She di…didn't help and I wa…was t..too smart. I didn't ge…"

"Tim, from what I have heard from your father, you simply couldn't be bothered. You were lazy and didn't want to achieve. I'm sorry Son, but right now I think you are lying."

"N….nooo."

"Objection your honor."

"Sustained. Mr. Hernandez, you are not here to pass judgment on the boy. If you can't be objective at this point, I shall appoint a court lawyer to your client."

"Understood. Tim, why did your father tear up your books?"

A small sniffle could be heard before a small voice answered. "He…he didn't like it when I…when I did well. He sai…said I wasn't an…any good and di…didn't want me to do well."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Mr. Hernandez looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to the judge. "No further questions your honor."

"WHAT? I'M PAYING YOU TO..." Callum McGee shot up out of his chair and growled at his lawyer. That was it? That's what he paid for?

"Mr. McGee. If you do not sit down, I will have you removed from my courtroom. Thank you Mr. Hernandez. Would you like to take the floor, Mrs. Fawkes."

Callum McGee glared at his attorney as he sat down. "Calm down! I have a plan and you're not helping."

"What plan? You just accepted what he said."

"No, I planted a seed. I put doubt in their minds as to how truthful Tim is and if they think he's less than honest, then the judge will hold that against him and won't take his testimony to heart. I plan to cross examine, but I need to know what they've got up their sleeves first."

"You better know what you're doing." Callum growled harshly. "That kid is mine. I fathered him and it's my blood that runs through his damn veins."

"I know. How about we wait and see how this plays out, okay."

Amy's close friend and state attorney stood up and nodded at the judge. "Thank you, your honor." As she stepped out from behind the table, she noticed Callum and his lawyer with their heads together and couldn't help but smirk slightly at how worried they looked.

"Hi Tim, My name is Marnie Fawkes. You can call me Marnie if you like." She said warmly from where she stood.

"I'd like that." Marnie smiled at the shy voice and hoped that one day, he would gain his confidence back once again.

"Okay. Tim. I'm going to start with the day you broke your arm…

***NCIS***

Shannon and Gibbs left the court room once the judge had told Tim he could step down. Amy, bless her soul, had asked for permission to go to Tim and to try and evaluate how the young man was doing; luckily, the judge had agreed and the worried look on his face hadn't gone amiss. It was that look, paired with the bone shaking sobs, that got to both Shannon and Gibbs and they knew that tonight, Tim would need all the love, care and attention he could get. Gibbs stood up and started to pace the room.

"Gibbs, please. Sit down."

"Sit down? Shan that bastard Hernandez put Tim through the damn wringer. He waited for Marnie to finish and jumped on Tim like he was some kind of damn prey. He's seven years old for Christ sake!"

"I know baby. I know." He stopped his pacing and glanced at his wife.

"I'm sorry. Shan, I'm sorry." He said and sat down so he could pull her into his arms. "I don't know what state he was in and they wouldn't let us go and see him. I'm just worried."

Shannon nodded and sat there silent for a moment. "Why did he wait? I mean, I know he was waiting for Marnie, but why find a counter argument for everything Tim said. He all but accused Tim of killing his mother and sister and has pretty much painted Callum out to be a saint."

"They know he's not, sweetheart. You heard what the judge said."

"But…Oh God, Gibbs he accused us of giving Tim the pineapple juice even though he was the one with the bottle. Hernandez said that the date is due to be set by which we'll be called to answer for what we did." Shannon started to cry and it tore at Gibbs heart. "We didn't do it. He did! He poured that on Tim's food."

"I know. And we've got plenty of witnesses to put that theory to rest. Don't worry, it's going to be alright and that bastard will be looked up securely where he won't hurt us anymore." Shannon didn't miss the use of 'us' and sniffled. They sat there quietly waiting for Amy to bring their son to them. They didn't have wait long and both stood up when the door opened. The sight that met them damn near broke their hearts and it was all they could do to take Tim, and run away so that he wouldn't have to deal with this anymore.

"Hey, guys. Sorry it took so long, but this little man was in quite a state when we took him off the stand. I'd asked a friend of ours to wait in the sidelines so he could look him over."

Gibbs and Shannon both scrutinized Tim and took in the pale, puffy tear stained face and the shaking that wracked his small body. "How is he?" Gibbs asked as he moved forward to take Tim.

"He's in mild shock, but he's okay. The doctor has asked that he come with you tonight to keep an eye on him."

Shannon had moved in close and was currently rubbing soothing circles on Tim's back as he sat pliant and silently limp in her husband's arms. "Ames, no one we don't know, k?"

Amy grinned and nodded her head. "I know you guys too well. You know him."

"Who?" Gibbs asked gently, but turned his attention to Tim when his breath hitched slightly. "Shh, son. It's okay. I've got you."

"Ahh Jethro. I must say, you've certainly captured that little man's heart. How are you my friend?"

Gibbs stood there stunned when his old friend walked in but soon recovered and offered a saddened smile. "I've been better, Duck."

Ducky nodded and turned to Shannon. "And you, my dear. This stress can't be any good for you or the wee bairn."

"I'm okay. We just need for this to be over now. We need to be at home."

"You can go home if you want. They're going to call Callum McGee to the stand and then the judge is going to adjourn to make his decision. From what Marnie says, it's open and shut."

"Yeah, but we don't know for sure. Shan, take Tim and I'll get the car." Gibbs tried to pry Tim off, but the small arms simply tightened around his neck. "He, Tim. I need to go and get the car and then we can take you home, okay?"

"N..noooooo. Daddy…Nooooo." They didn't know what to do, so Gibbs tightened his arms around his son and held him close. After a couple of minutes, he felt Shannon's hand delving into his jacket pocket for the keys.

"I'll drive. You sit in the back with him. Ducky, Did you drive in?"

Ducky shook his head sadly and sighed. "Alas, no. My old classic Jaguar is unfortunately in the garage, so young Amy was good enough to give me a lift. I have what I need with me, so I shall ride with you if that's okay?"

"Of course." Shannon turned and kissed Tim's cheek before heading out to get the car. Gibbs sighed heavily and sat down on the chair so that he could try and get Tim's coat on him.

"Hey, come on. It's cold out there so how about we put on your coat?" he felt Tim shake his head and sighed heavily. "Well you can't go out like that. You'll be freezing." Another shake of his head and he knew that he was fighting a losing battle.

"Jethro, I wasn't sure what I'd need, so I packed a few extra's just in case. I have a spare cardigan that mother knitted in my overnight bag. If we open up the buttons, it should be big enough to use as a blanket. It's not much, but it's highland arran wool and will be warm enough to use for now." The M.E. proceeded to delve into his bag and pulled out the thick, luxurious winter sweater and wrapped it around Tim's shoulders. It was with a heavy heart, that he noticed the boys eyes were open, and unfocused as they stared at the opposite wall. "There you go young man. That should help keep you warm at least."

Gibbs nodded his thanks and walked out of the room to hopefully, help soothe his child and wait for the decision that could potentially change the rest of their lives.

***NCIS***

Mike sat in the easy chair in the Gibbs' house and watched on as Tim clung to Gibbs with a death grip that had yet to be broken. They'd been home for an hour and a half and so far, every attempt of separating the two had been futile.

"Hey, probie's son. You wanna let an old man read to ya?" He asked loudly and grinned when Tim's eyes seemed to flicker over to him. "Huh, knew you were in there somewhere. So, what do you say?"

Gibbs rubbed at Tim's back and chuckled when Tim's small arms loosened. "It's alright if you wanna you know? I'm still gonna be here." For the first time since coming home, Tim sat up on Gibbs' knee and looked around the room. "Go on." His father urged and helped him climb down so he could get his book off the coffee table and climb up into Mikes lap.

"Okay, short stuff. Where were we?" Tim wordlessly opened the book to the last page they read and settled back with his back resting against mikes chest. After a moment, he stretched round and looked up at the rugged face. For the first time that night, Tim spoke.

"Unca Mike?" He said quietly.

"What do you need, Timmy boy?"

"I'm cold." Mike chuckled and flicked his head at Gibbs as he wrapped his arm around Tim to keep him warm. "Grab that comforter, Probie. The boy's cold." Gibbs frowned slightly and reached over to get the warm blanket they kept draped on the back of the sofa for when the kids fell asleep. He stood up and handed it over.

"You feeling alright, Tim. It's not really cold in here with the fire going?" he asked his son warmly. Tim simply nodded and snuggled into the blanket as it was draped over him. "Alright. I want you to let me know if you're not feeling good. Can you do that."

"M'okay Daddy." Gibbs ruffled the blond curls and went back to the sofa. He watched intently as Mike read to Tim, lulling the small boy to sleep with his deep, rough, rumbling voice.

"He's finally asleep?" Shannon asked as she walked in with Ducky. They were carrying mugs of tea and coffee for everyone, though the tension that they felt was palpable in their faces.

"Yeah. Poor kid, he's really been through it today." Gibbs answered and shirked his head towards Mike. "Duck, he said he was cold. Is that normal."

Ducky shook his head and moved over to where Mike was sat cradling Tim. He'd stopped reading when he realized Tim had fallen asleep and sat there just holding the boy safely. "Not really, but not to be unexpected given the trauma of the day. Mike, do you mind if I just take a look at him."

"Knock yourself out." The M.E. offered a small smile to the Team leader and knelt down to take Tim's temperature and generally check him.

"Stop…" Tim struggled weakly against the onslaught, but was stopped by Mike's hands carding through his hair.

"it's alright, kid. Won't take a minute."

"K' unca Mike."

Ducky finished what he was doing and covered Tim again with the blanket. "Sleep, Timothy. That's the best thing for you." He didn't manage to finish the sentence before Tim was once again sleeping peacefully, ensconced in Mikes arms. "Jethro, I believe it's the shock of the day. Just make sure he rests and drinks plenty of fluids. When he wakes, we should try and get him to eat."

"You staying, Don?" Shannon asked warmly. She never had got the knack of calling Ducky by his nickname, and if the M.E. was going to be honest, he preferred her calling him Don anyway.

"If that's okay, my dear. I just want to make sure that little man is alright. No doubt, he'll have nightmares tonight so it may be prudent for me to be on hand."

Shannon grinned and was going to respond when their phone started to ring loudly. Gibbs and Shannon shared a look before Gibbs stood and walked over to answer the phone.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Gibbs, it's Ames. How's Tim?"

"Sleeping, but still not doing too good. Any news?"

He heard Amy sigh on the other end of the phone and felt his heart drop. "Well, if you consider yourself the legal parent's of one Timothy Gibbs, then yeah, there's news."

It took a minute for her news to sink in. "What? Legal parents? We're…Jesus! Shan!" he called over to his wife with a huge grin. "We did it!" Shannon made her way over and slipped her arms around Gibbs.

"Gibbs, you there?"

"I'm here. We both are."

"Good. The judge adjourned to his chambers for about ten minutes, came out and made the ruling. He said Callum McGee is not fit to be a father and in lieu of the evidence that was presented, he was granting the adoption and the change of name with effect of immediately. He also told that son of a bitch to expect to be pulled through the courts again, because he was going to use his pull to initiate legal proceedings against Callum for the murder of his wife and daughter and for the abuse, he put his family through. Not to mention the attempted murder of one Timothy Gibbs."

"Ames…I'm…Thank you!" For the first time since his daughter had been born, Gibbs stood there and handed the phone to his wife with tears streaming down his face. He kissed her cheek and left her talking to Amy whilst he walked over to his son and gently lifted him out of Mikes arms. "Hey, Tim."

Tim didn't stir but snuggled closer to his father with his small head resting in the crook of his neck. "Son, I need you to wake up for me."

"M'tired Daddy." Tim whined and snuffled slightly. Gibbs rubbed his back lovingly and grinned at being called Daddy because right now, he really was Tim's father in more than word.

"I know, you can sleep after I talk to you Timothy Gibbs."

Tim raised his head and looked at his father blearily. "Gib…What?"

"Ames just rang. We are now the proud parents of one Timothy Gibbs."

Tim's eyes widened before the small boy threw his arms around his legal guardian. "You and Mom are my Mommy and Daddy. For keeps?"

"For keeps, Son. You are now an official Gibbs so you're stuck with us."

Tim sniffed loudly before the tears of joy started to roll down his face. It was a beautiful scene, one that was only enhanced by Kelly walking sleepily into the room and frowning at the sight before her.

"Why you crying, Daddy. Timmy what's wrong?"

"These are tears of happiness baby. Tim is now Timothy Gibbs and is officially your brother."

Kelly stood there momentarily and gaped at what she'd been told. "Timmy, you're my brother!" She shrieked before running over to her father so he could sweep her up and hold her close. This was what it was all about, and he knew, that no matter what, he would fight to the death to keep his family safe from whatever harm that threatened them.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Two happy, blissful months had passed and Tim had settled in nicely with the Gibbs family. As it stood, he was doing better than anyone could ever have imagined and was excelling at school. It was strange in a way, but the lingering legacy that Callum McGee had left, had dissipated to the extent that Tim rarely thought about him anymore and found himself actually enjoying life.

He sat at the computer desk in the living room happily typing up his school report when a news item that Shannon and Gibbs were watching caught his interest. With a small sigh, he slid out of the chair and climbed into Gibbs' lap so he could watch too.

"You finished?"

"Nope. Nearly though." Tim replied and settled back against his father's chest. "Wanted to watch."

"You wanted to watch the news?" Shannon asked gently with an amused look on her face. "Are you sure you're only seven or are you a grownup in disguise?"

"M'sure. I'm only seven." Tim replied with a sharp nod. "Mama?"

"Yes baby?" Shannon reached over and brushed his curls out of his eyes with a frown. In the short space of time Tim had been with them, he'd had his hair cut three times already. "Timothy Gibbs your hair grows so fast! Daddy'll have to take you for another haircut this week."

"Okay…Mama when's the baby coming?" Tim reached out and placed his small hand on the barely there bump that had started to appear.

"Oh, not for a while yet. About August. Why?"

Tim's face got thoughtful for a moment before he shook his head. The one thought he had, was that the new baby would know him wholly as one of the family, whereas Kelly had accepted him outright. "Just wondering." He said with a smile and turned back to the news. It wasn't long before one of the news items caught their attention and when Gibbs tried to stand up to take Tim away, the small boy shouted a loud, resounding "noooo." that made him sit down again.

Breaking news…

"There has been a setback in the case of the State versus Callum McGee that threatens to push the case back yet another month. There are reports that have come to light which prove Mr. McGee's involvement in indiscretions whilst being posted abroad and it is these reports that have warranted a complete review of both his service records, and the criminal records that he has amassed since being dishonorably discharged.

Our sources have revealed the legal adoption of Mr. McGee's son to a family who are to remain anonymous as per their request in order to protect the child, but we can reveal that the treatment of the young boy is playing a large part in the case at hand…..

Gibbs reached over and grabbed the remote so he could turn the television off. Once that had been done, he turned and spared a glance with Shannon before holding Tim tightly.

"Is that why you wanted to watch the news?" He asked gently.

"Yeah." Tim whispered and turned to snuggle deep into Gibbs' embrace.

Shannon shook her head and gazed at Tim lovingly. "Timmy, no matter what, he can't get to you now. You know that don't you?" Tim nodded, but didn't say anything else. "Then why?"

"I…Daddy, I don't wanna."

With a frown, Gibbs pushed Tim up and cupped the small face. "Hey, no secrets alright? Just tell us why."

"Cause he hurt Mommy and Sarah and I want to see him go prison for a long long time. I don't want him out because he might hurt you and Mommy and Kelly and…and…!" Tim started to cry and given the fact that Tim had obviously been keeping track of this case, they had no idea how to soothe him. What had been more heartbreaking, was the revelation that the small boy was worried sick about his new family being taken away from him.

"He won't hurt you again. No matter how long it takes for the case to be heard, we won't let him get to you again and he can't do anything to any of us…"Shannon paused briefly before sighing. In true testament to how bonded she was with her husband's soul, he offered her a smile and nodded his head to her silent question. "Okay. Tim, there's something we would like to discuss with you and Kelly. You want to go and get her?"

He ran off to Kelly's bedroom where his sister was busy tidying her bedroom. Shannon turned to Gibbs and smiled. "You sure?"

"I'm sure." He replied succinctly and grinned at the pitter-patter of small feet running down the stairs. "What have we told you two about running down the stairs?" He asked when they ran in to the room.

There was a unified 'Sorry, Daddy' before both kids settled down in-between their parents and waited for the news that they were going to deliver.

"Kelly, sweetheart. Have you tidied you room?" Kelly nodded happily at her mother and smiled.

"Yuh huh. I have. What did you want me for because I was playing?"

"Well, as you know, you're going to have a new brother or sister. Daddy and I went to see the doctor the other day and the doctor did a scan and it's a girl. You two are going to have a little sister." Kelly reached out and held Tim's hand while she bounced with happiness on the sofa. "Calm down you two. Tim, there's something we would like to discuss with you about your new sister, is that okay?"

Tim's smile faltered slightly, but he nodded shyly as he worried slightly about what it could be.

"Thank you, honey. What would you say…and please feel free to disagree because we won't be mad…but what do you think about us naming the new baby Sarah Eve Gibbs?"

Tim's eyes widened and his jaw fell at the news. They wanted to name his new little sister after the sister that he had adored and loved, but had lost. The sentiment was perfect and Tim wasted no time in clambering over into Shannon's lap. He sat there looking into her blue eyes and grinned.

"I'd love it!" He said but paused with a frown. "Kelly, that okay with you?"

Gibbs and Shannon couldn't help but chuckle at Tim's question and waited for their little girl's answer with baited breath.

"Yup yup. Sarah Eve. It's purty."

"Well then that's settled. Sarah Eve Gibbs. Okay kids, why don't you go wash up for dinner, okay?"

Tim kissed his mom on the cheek and climbed down so he could go and do what he was told. He paused momentarily and looked back towards his family, watching as Kelly kissed Shannon and Gibbs on the cheek as well. She climbed down and bounded over to him with a huge smile. "Come on, Timmy. Mommy's making sgetti."

Tim smiled and turned to his parents. "Mommy, Daddy?"

"Yes baby?" Shannon answered and reached out to take her husband's hand.

"Thanks for letting me be yours." With that, he ran up the stairs with Kelly leaving the two adults sitting down in the living room in shock at the simple, heartfelt statement. In all honesty, there was no question about where Tim belonged and right now his place was with them.

"Wasn't even in question." Gibbs huffed out and shook his head. "Knew that kid was mine from the get go."

"Yeah, but it's a big deal for him…" She paused momentarily to think and nodded once. "It's a big deal for us too. I love that boy just as much as if he were my own."

"I know Shan." Gibbs said and pulled her into is arms so he could kiss her forehead. "I feel the same way."

***NCIS***

Dinner was always a happy affair now and was always packed with excited chatter from the kids. The laughter that now filled the house gave it a completely different feel and even though the family felt complete before, right now Shannon and Gibbs couldn't remember what life was like before Tim came along. They sat there for a good ten minutes after eating just talking and being a family before the cleanup started. Shannon sighed and collected the plates so that Gibbs could wash the dishes.

"Okay, who's turn is it to take out the trash?" she asked loudly and giggled when she was met with three blank faces. "Well then, let's check the roster shall we? And the winner is…drum roll please…Tim! Kelly you're up for doing the dishes with your Daddy."

Kelly and Tim groaned but set about their chores. Tim walked to the kitchen bin and picked up the small trash bag that was there. Usually, if the bags were bigger, Gibbs took them out, but these small ones were perfect so that they could get the kids involved in the day to day chores. "Keep the door open, Tim and yell if you need help."

"Okay, Daddy." Tim replied and bounded outside quickly to dump the bag in the trash can. Gibbs shook his head and reached out with a soapy hand to gently land some soap bubbles on the end of Kelly's nose.

"Daaaddy!" the young girl squealed just as Shannon picked up the cloth to start wiping down the counters.

"You two behave or Tim and I will be the only one's getting dess…" She was cut off by the screeching of tires outside right before their son's frightened screams tore through the open door. "Oh my God! Timmy!"

Gibbs held out his arm and nodded curtly towards Kelly before running outside. What he saw gripped his heart with fear and hatred for the man that stood in front of him holding is boy at gun point.

"Well, well. Look what we have here! Happy family? Got him doing his chores? Hmm, not for much longer, Gibbs because if I can't have him, then no one can."

"Callum, don't do this. Tim didn't do anything to deserve what you are doing to him, so let him go and we'll settle this man to man."

Callum's laughter was cold and frightening as he held the gun to Tim's head. Gibbs could see the trembling that wracked Tim's body and wondered how the hell his son was managing to cope as well as he was. "Let him go? Why? He's mine Gibbs. It's my blood that runs through his veins so you just step back and let me take what is mine!"

Gibbs growled and reached for the gun that wasn't there. He cursed loudly and shook his head. "He's not yours McGee! Just let him go and I won't feel obliged to kill ya any more than I do now."

"You're kidding, right? It's my blood that runs through him. MINE!" Callum shouted and made his way to the car. "That being said, you're unarmed and there's sweet NATA that you can do to me right now."

Gibbs ran forward but wasn't quick enough as Callum practically threw Tim into the car and jumped in. Time seemed to slow down as Gibbs got there just at the car screeched away leaving him standing there dumbstruck at what had just happened. He ran back inside to see Shannon and Kelly huddled on the bottom step of the stairwell, sobbing their hearts out.

"Shannon. Kelly, you two okay?"

"N…no Daddy. He took Ti…Timmy. I want Timmy!" Kelly wailed as his wife simply shook her head.

"Get him back, Gibbs. Please…" She begged her husband. "I rang Mike. He's on his way with Tom."

Gibbs knelt down and cupped both of his girl's cheeks. "We'll get him back. I promise you that now. Shan, is Duck coming?"

Shannon shook her head and rested her chin on Kelly's head. "No. Didn't think we needed him." She admitted softly. Gibbs sighed heavily.

"Shan, you're 12 weeks pregnant and our little girl is in shock. I'm gonna be going to go and find that bastard, so I want Ducky here to keep an eye on you both." Shannon started to disagree but was cut off by Gibbs glare. "Don't argue with me on this. I'm right and you don't get a say. I want you to take Kelly upstairs. Put her jammie's on and get in our bed with her. Alright?"

Shannon nodded and rubbed her hand down Kelly's back before gently moving her away so she could stand up and walk up the stairs with her daughters small hand wrapped in hers. Gibbs watched as the two of them made their way upstairs and his heart broke more and more with every sob he heard. He was lost in a haze of pain, when he felt a firm hand clamp down on his shoulder. His instincts kicked in and he soon had his attacker pinned to the floor with his hand round his neck.

"Damn, Probie! I get a call from Shannon telling me Tim's been kidnapped and I get beat down by you when I turn up."

Gibbs growled and let his grip up before standing up and making his way over to the gun safe in the wall.

"Hey, you gonna leave an old man down here like this?"

"Old man, my ass. Get up Mike. We've gotta get my son back."

Mike stood up and frowned. "Yeah, about that. You know what happened?"

"That's the million dollar question isn't it?" Tom morrow said as he walked in with Vance in toe. "Jethro, what's going on?"

"Mike, call Ducky. Tell him to come and sit with my girls. Tom, Callum McGee took Tim. The kid was putting the garbage out and Callum drove up and took him." Gibbs felt his tenuous hold on his emotions starting to crack. "Tom, he held him at gunpoint. Tim's seven years old and that son of a bitch held a gun to his head. He was terrified."

Tom moved forward and placed his hands on Gibbs' shoulder. "We'll find him. Mike, contact the LEO's and get them to keep their eye out for a…"

"Looked like an early 80's Jeep Wagoneer. Red. No plates so he must have taken them off."

"Alright. That's what we have. I want him found and followed."

Mike nodded and called it in. Gibb stood there amazed at how much everyone pulled together at times like this and waited for Leon to finish his call to their M.E.

"Okay…yeah, thanks Jordan. That'll be great…just explain what happened and get him to let you finish up…" Vance hung up and glanced over at Gibbs. "Ducky's finishing up on an autopsy. Jordan's gonna finish up so he can come right round."

"He's still there?" Tom asked with a frown. "I didn't think there were any more cases that needed attention tonight."

"Smith's team caught a dead marine over in Virginia. Apparently the body was in heavy decomp, so the autopsy had to be quick." Vance answered. "They're nearly finished now though, so Evan can take over."

"Did Tim meet her when he came with me?" Gibbs asked softly, knowing that the kid would get on well with Ducky's assistant, Jordan Hampton.

"No. The autopsy suite was full and I didn't think it would be good for him seeing that." Tom replied earnestly. "He enjoyed MTAC though. You know, he actually solved a technical problem with Garcia?"

Gibbs shook his head with something that resembled a sobbed laugh, and sat down heavily. "We've gotta get him back, Tom. I can't lose my son."

"I know. We're doing what we can and as soon as Ducky gets here, we'll be on our way. I've got the whole agency working on this, Gibbs. We'll find him."

Gibbs frowned. "The whole agency?"

"The teams that are in, agreed to help. Hell, even Evan agreed to stay on. They are just waiting for our instruction." Tom said sullenly. He'd announced the situation on his way down from his office and everyone that was in on the day that Timothy Gibbs came to visit, agreed to stay behind and help with the search.

"He liked Evan's name." Gibbs muttered. "Just like he liked yours Tom. He got a kick out of them."

"Our parents were quirky. They had to be to call a kid Tom when their surnames were Morrow."

Vance chuckled slightly and shook his head. "Or Evan when the surname's Knowes. You should have heard that kid laugh and smile. He lit up the damn room."

Everyone sat in silence waiting until they heard Ducky's voice ring through to them from the front door.

"Jethro? Shannon?..."

"In here, Duck." Gibbs shouted and watched as the harried M.E. bustled into the living room.

"Oh, Jethro. I heard. How is everyone?"

"Need you to sit with Shannon and Kelly. They're upstairs in our bedroom." Gibbs gave a short, curt nod at the stairs and was grateful that his friend didn't expect anymore than that by way of explanation.

"Of course." Ducky said and made his way up without saying another word. Gibbs stood there looking around dumbly at his friends and colleagues, waiting for some instruction as to where to go next.

"Gibbs?" Vance asked gently. "You okay?"

"No…" He whispered and shook his head. "What now?"

Mike pulled out a packet of cigarettes and made his way to the door. "Now, Probie, I'm gonna make some calls and see if I can pull in some help finding my boy."

"Your boy?" Gibbs said and couldn't help but smile ruefully at the term.

"Hell, yeah! That boy is part of my family now and don't you forget that." Mike stepped out of the room dialing on his cellphone. They were pulled out of their reverie by Tom's phone ringing shrilly in the silence of the room.

"Excuse me." He said and answered the large phone. "Tom Morrow…Where?...that a fact? Okay, we're on our way now." He hung up and turned to his team. "The car's been abandoned outside the yard. Let's go…Gibbs, I'm driving. You're in no fit state."

Gibbs nodded and grabbed the jacket that was still strewn over the back of the chair from when they got in. "Doesn't matter how we get there as long as we get there soon."

"Then let's go. Leon, you and Mike take his car to this address." Tom pulled out a small notebook and scribbled the address down before tearing off the page and handing it over. "We'll meet you there. You've got a kit in your trunk?"

Vance nodded. "Yeah. What do you want us to do when we get there?"

"Stay with the car until we get there. I'm guessing Mike's calling in the cavalry as we speak so you might get there to team ready to search. All we have is the car, so I want you to process it with the priority being anything that can allude to where McGee has taken Tim."

"Yes Sir." Vance left and Tom turned to face his agent. The sheer look of dejection, hurt and worry for the son he loved and adored was evident in his crystal blue eyes.

"He'll be okay, Jethro. We will find him!"

"Yeah. I just don't know what that bastard is doing to him. You know, he's hurt him before, Tom. I can't stand thinking he's doing it again when Tim was doing so damn well."

Tom nodded sadly and wrapped his arm round Gibbs' shoulder. "Then let's go find him before he gets the chance."

Gibbs started to make his way out, but doubled back and took the stairs two at a time. Tom watched and waited patiently for his Agent to kiss Shannon and Kelly goodbye before they set out to find Tim and hopefully, bring him home unscathed.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Gibbs narrowed his eyes as they pulled up to the car that Callum McGee had stolen. One thing he didn't understand is why the asshole would bring Tim here; near to where he worked. Maybe it was another slight at him, either that, or Callum McGee truly was just losing the weak grip on reality he had, or was every bit as twisted as he seemed and was a true sociopath.

"Why here?"

"Who knows." Tom replied as he pulled in and stopped the car. "Maybe he's getting at you. You work here, so why not cause bad memories at the place you are nearly everyday?"

Gibbs thought about it for a moment and shook his head. "No. I can't see it. It's convenient and it's close. He knew he wouldn't get out of state easily so came to the place that practically a second home to him."

"The Navy yard?" Tom frowned with confusion.

"The Navy." Gibbs replied dryly as he gazed out over the year. Callum had chosen a perfect place to look over the river. "The Barry."

"What about it?"

"Anyone searching it?" Gibb's asked as he eyed the large ship that was permanently berthed at the Navy yard. "It's open. Hell, Tom. It's a damn museum!"

"Gibbs, no one is on board the Barry. It's closed for fumigation because some kid saw rats on board. He won't get on board."

"Director! I found traces of gunpowder in the trunk, but there's nothing else there that tells us where he is. Security said they haven't seen anyone, but for what it's worth, they did say that the Barry is unguarded because it's plank has been pulled."

"The plank?" Tom asked distractedly as he gazed at the ship. "You mean the gangplank?"

Vance nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"The very same gangplank that is currently down at the moment?"

All eyes shot round to the Barry. "Well damn!" Vance muttered before being shoved out of the way by Gibbs hurtling towards the large warship with his weapon drawn.

"Gibbs! Damn it!...Mike!" Tom watched as Mike stood up from where he was stopped in the driver's side of the car. "Go with him! Do NOT let him out of your sight! You got that!"

Mike nodded and flicked the cigarette he was smoking away before running after his probie. Tom looked at Vance and saw the uncertainty in his eyes; an uncertainty he knew and understood because he wanted nothing more than to run after them and help. He knew they had to stay though, because it wouldn't be long before there would be a group of agents descending on their position to help with the search.

"Sir?" Vance asked shakily.

"We wait, Leon. Everyone will be here in a couple of minutes and need us to let them know what to do. Once they are here, and know where to search, you and I are going to go and get that boy back. I want four more men with us on the Barry and the rest searching the yard."

"Sir. We heard about what happened and we would like to offer our assistance." Tom and Vance turned to see at least twenty sailors and marines standing to attention before them.

"You're CO know where you are?" Tom asked warily knowing that taking them up on their offer could open a can of worms that would take days to clear up.

"Sir, yes Sir. In fact, there he is now." One of the marines indicated to two men walking over towards them all and saluted. "Reporting for search and rescue as ordered, Sir."

"At ease…Captain Arthur Hampton , Sir, and this motley crew are my men. Our ship is docked for repairs so we've got time to help."

Tom smiled at the man before him and nodded. "That's greatly appreciated, Captain. I take it you have been made aware of the situation?"

"Yes, Sir. I was having coffee with my niece, and she asked me for help. She works for you."

"Who?"

"Jordon Hampton. She received a call from your M.E. asking her to hang fire and help with injuries if need be. I contacted my friend here…" Arthur pointed towards the burly marine by his side. "He's an ugly SOB but he's the best I know. We were transporting his platoon back home when we hit an engine problem that couldn't be fixed."

"Appreciate your help…?"

"Master Gunnery Sergeant Jones, Sir. Anything to help."

Tom chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Well, Master Gunny. I need two good men to go after my agents on the Barry, two to guard the gangplank and everyone else to help the search on dry land. Captain, I'd appreciate your men assisting mine on land as well."

"You got it."

Tom watched as both men walked over to their men and started to issue orders. It wasn't long before four marines were making their way stealthily to the ship whilst the others paired up with the NCIS staff that had joined them.

"Sir, what do we do?" Vance asked nervously.

"Son, we are going to be where we are needed the most."

Vance frowned with confusion before realization dawned. "The Barry?"

"The Barry." Tom agreed before placing his hand on the young man's back and making their way over to the ship.

***NCIS***

"Probie!" Mike's whispered order didn't slow Gibbs down and he struggled to keep up. He soon managed it and stopped Gibbs on the end of the gangplank by clamping his hand on his agent's shoulder. "Hey! What the hell do ya think you're gonna do storming in there? You're one man, Probie and we have backup."

"Yeah? See if I give a damn. Mike, I'm gonna rip that bastard limb from limb for this."

"Sir, maybe you could use some assistance doing that." Gibbs turned to the strange voice and narrowed his eyes.

"Marines?"

"Yes, Sir. Our Master Gunny sent us to help you."

"Semper Fi." Gibbs responded and sucked in a huge, breath and forced himself to breathe it out slowly to try and calm down.

"You were in the core, Sir?" The young marine asked gently.

"Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Or at least I was." Gibbs replied and gazed up at the ship. "I was a sniper. You gonna stand in my way, Lance Corporal?"

"No Sir. I'm here to help and you 'was' a marine? With all due respect, once a marine, always a marine."

Gibbs couldn't do anything but nod at that and sighed heavily. "Okay, what have you been told? I need to get on that ship ASAP, so make it quick."

The marine grunted once before answering. "McKay and Finney are guarding the plank and we're with you Sir…Corporal's Gonzales and Jones at your service."

Gibbs nodded and raised his gun as he started to walk up the gang plank with his crew in toe. When they reached the top, Mike and Corporal Gonzales went ahead with their guns locked and loaded in case of enemy fire. The marine signaled the all clear and Gibbs ran forward stealthily with Jones. They soon made their way to a locked door that took them into the belly of the ship and found that the look of the door had small scorch marks around it.

"It's been blasted open. Nobody heard it?"

"Obviously not." Mike muttered haughtily. "Split up?"

"Split up." Gibbs agreed. "Corporals, you two search out here. We're gonna go in."

Gonzales and Jones both saluted before going off on their search, leaving Mike and Gibbs to venture into the belly of the beast.

"Not sure we're gonna cut it, Probie. We're only 2 men." Mike whispered softly.

"Yeah, but we've got bad attitudes and we're not in control of out trigger fingers." Gibbs responded wryly and made his way inside.

***NCIS***

Tim woke up with a headache and reached up to wipe the sweat away from his brow. He frowned deeply when his small fingers came into contact with something thick and sticky, and when he pulled his hand away, he could just make out the darkened stain.

"Blood…what?...D..daddy?"

"Yes Timothy?" Callum McGee stepped out of the shadows tapping a gun against his thigh. "What can I do for you, Son?"

Tim couldn't help the sob that escaped his lips. "I'm bleeding. I want my Mommy…."

Callum leapt forward and shoved Tim backwards against the hull of the ship. "Your mommy, died with that pretty little princess, Sarah. They're not coming back so quit your whining and let me think of a way to get us out of here."

Tim tried to control his sobs and started to focus on the cold, stiff fur under his hands. He could feel something wriggling underneath it and sucked in a shocked breath before pulling it away. "Wh…Where are we?" He stammered out before shying away from the harsh laugh.

"USS Barry. Surely Gibbs told you about this ship." Callum replied snidely. "Afterall, he bought you here the other day, didn't he?"

"T…to NCIS. Y…Yes, Daddy let me go to work with him and…."

"HE'S NOT YOUR FATHER! I AM!" Tim jumped at Callum's bellowed statement and whimpered as he tried to scoot away from the man that had caused him so much pain and misery. "Oh, Timothy. You never will learn will you? You just carry on being the naïve, weak little boy that your mother loved so much. Don't you think, that she'd want you to finally grow a pair and follow in your father's footsteps? I've been saving up for military school. That should toughen you up a bit."

Tim shook his head vehemently. "No…no I don't wanna! What?...what's this?" He picked up a dead rat and screamed as maggots that had infested the animals rotting corpse, fell down his sleeve. "Get em off! Get them…Noooooo!"

Callum laughed harshly pulled Tim up so hard, that he damn near pulled his shoulder out of the socket. "Jesus. They're only maggots, boy. I've seen worse on my tours of duty! I've seen insects that will eat a body in an hour."

"Get them off…" Tim sobbed "Please…ju…just get them off…"

Callum started to brush down Tim's small body and shook his head. "Damn weakling. Tell me why I want you again?"

"Because you're a selfish bastard who likes nothing more than to torment and torture small boys. Step away from him, McGee." Callum turned and picked Tim up so he was holding him in front of him like a human shield. "You think my son is gonna stop me killing you? I was a sniper and could kill you with one shot."

"You'd risk killing the boy you love as your son? I don't think so." Callum scoffed. "I still can't figure out why you want this wimp. I have no choice because he's my son and it's my blood that flows through him."

"He might share your genes, but he's my boy through and through. You threw your rights away the moment you started to abuse him the way you did. Hell, you didn't want anything to do with him! So why now?" Gibbs growled harshly. He was worried about baiting the man that held Tim's life so readily in his hands, but he had to do something to try and stop his finger pulling that trigger. "You think that this is going to make them give him back to you? You're wrong. I won't let you have him for starters."

Callum laughed harshly and pushed his gun into Tim's temple, making the small boy whimper. "What are you gonna do to stop me?"

That was it, that was all Gibbs needed and it only took a split second for the agent to put his sniper skills to good use and fired his gun. The moment that it took for Callum McGee to take his eyes off the ball was the window of opportunity that Gibbs needed and for the second time ever, his shot caught his target square between the eyes and he watched with horror as Tim was dropped to the ground before Callum fell on top of him.

"Crap….Tim! It's alright, Son, I'm here." Gibbs jumped forward and moved the body harshly off to the side before scooping his son up in his arms and holding him close. "I'm here. It's alright."

Tim let himself be rocked and comforted as he sobbed before feeling something moving over his skin. "Daddy…get them off…please…I don't like them…."

Gibbs pushed him back and frowned when he saw the odd few maggots crawling over Tim's hands. He quickly brushed them off and frowned. "Where'd these come from?"

"Something dead over there." Tim sobbed out. "I think they're rats, Daddy. I need a shower…and my head hurts…and I wanna go home!"

"I know, Timmy. I know. We need to get you checked out first, but I'll take you right home." Gibbs soothed despite his heart breaking in two at his little boy's pain. He was so lost in comforting Tim, that he didn't notice Mike step into the room.

"Probie? Everything okay?"

"McGee's…" Gibbs paused when Tim heaved with a small sob and shook his head. "Get Jordan in here. I'm gonna carry Tim out, but can you ring Shannon and let her know what's going on?"

"Sure thing." Mike replied and rested his hand on Tim's back. "So, you gonna tell an old man what damage my boy has got?"

"W…wanna go ho..home, Unca Mike." Tim sobbed out, the tears freely falling down his cheeks.

"I know. You'll get there because you're safe now. Did he hurt you?" Mike's worn face warmed as he leaned forward to pull Tim's head to one side. "You've got a bit of blood on ya there, kid. Hi or yours?"

Tim shuddered slightly before looking at mike with watery green eyes. "Where?...um…I don't know…My head hurts…" Mike frowned and glanced at Gibbs.

"He needs to go to Bethesda. He's in shock and needs to be thoroughly checked out."

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm gonna take him out. He doesn't need to stay here any longer." Gibbs started making his way to the door and paused briefly. "Mike, you know what? I'll ring Shannon. It'll be better coming from me."

"Sure. Go. I've got the boys to keep me company." Gibbs turned back to the door and nodded a greeting to the two marines. Without saying another word, He walked past them carrying Tim to safety.

***NCIS***

Mike scanned the area and cringed. The hold had a definite air of death that seemed to cling to every cavity and crevice in the room. He pulled out his torch and swung it round, letting it briefly hover on Callum McGee's dead face before searching the area to see why there was such a huge stench in the air.

"Well damn." He said when the beam hit a small pile of rats that had obviously been exterminated and left to rot. Even in the winter, the ship was kept warm enough that the vermin seemed to thrive and even the maggots seemed rife as they ate away at the flesh. "Hey, you guys okay to stand guard?"

"Yes, Sir." They said in unison and both moved to door to vet who came in and out of the room.

"Keep our eye on our friend here. Try and make sure that son of a bitch doesn't try and come back again. Wouldn't put it past him. He's pure evil."

The marines nodded and pulled their weapons. Without another word, they both screwed on silencers and shot another two bullets into the corpse. "Definitely dead now, Sir. Anyone asks, he woke up and went for his gun."

Mike chuckled and shook his head. "That's what I saw too. You two are good kids. Just make sure you stay that way and don't do something stupid on duty. Hey, you never know, when you get out of the marines, maybe you should look at a career in law enforcement."

"NCIS?" Gonzales asked with interest. "I'll definitely keep that in mind."

"That's good to know." Mike said and left the hold with a firm clap on each of the Marines shoulders. As he reached the gangplank, he looked around from the top and saw Gibbs sitting on a stretcher, cradling Tim as the paramedics saw to his injuries. It was both heartbreaking and warming to see given the love that the two seemed to hold for each other. He just wished it wasn't in these circumstances.

"Mike." Tom called. "What happened down there? Gibbs said McGee's dead."

"Yeah. Probie there shot him right in the middle of the eyes. Nothing he didn't deserve because he was gonna kill the kid."

"McGee was going to kill his own son?" Tom asked and his face darkened. "Well he got what he deserved then. Jordan's waiting to go in, so I'm going to escort her on with a team. Take Vance and follow Gibbs to the hospital. Wait for Shannon and then you two go home and get some rest. It's been a long day."

"Yes Sir, it has." Mike agreed and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. "Should give up but hell. You only live once, right? I'll probably be gunned down in the street before these things get a chance to kill me."

"Keep telling yourself that Mike, and one day you'll believe it." Tom said and smiled. "We should get that kid something to take his mind off what happened. I know it won't make him forget, but it'll be nice for him to know we care."

They both watched as Tim finally gave in and fell asleep with his head resting on Gibbs shoulder. The paramedics lifted Tim and placed him on a gurney before putting him in the back and waiting for Gibbs to get in so that they could get underway.

"He's a good kid." Mike muttered and took a puff of his cigarette. "How can any father do what he did?"

"McGee didn't hold much stock in family." Tom replied. "It's was his own downfall and ultimately, got him killed. At least now Tim can finally mourn his mother and sister before moving on with his new family. Gibbs and Shannon are good people, they'll make sure he has a good life."

Mike nodded and flicked his butt into the river. "You didn't see that." He said and made his way down the gangplank to get Vance and follow Gibbs to the hospital.

***NCIS***

Shannon sat propped up against her headboard, staring into space as she carded her fingers through Kelly's hair. The young girl had finally succumbed to sleep and was currently restless as her agitation at what happened refused to calm down.

"Shannon. I'm going to go down and make some tea. Would you like some? It might help a little bit because you know, the Brits had something right. Tea really is soothing for the soul."

Shannon smiled wanly and nodded her head. "Thanks, Donald. You know you don't have to stay with us. We'll manage."

"Nonsense. My dear, there is no where I would rather be right now. So, how does Earl Grey sound. I know you are as partial as I am." Ducky replied softly and reached over to pat her hand. "She's settling now. That's a good sign."

"Yeah. Guess so. Earl Grey would be perfect. Thank you." She looked at Kelly and felt the tears staring to pool in her eyes. "You know, before Tim was here, I felt complete. I had Jethro. I had Kelly and life was good. Then Tim came along and he seemed to fill a hole that hadn't even realized was there. He was the completion we needed and even with this new little one on the way, If he doesn't come back, I don't think we'll ever get over it."

Ducky perched on the edge of the bed and used his thumb to swipe away one of the tears that rolled down her cheek. "They will find him, Shannon and they will bring him back home where he belongs."

Shannon nodded and started slightly when her phone started to ring. "Oh…"

"Here." Ducky reached over and picked up the phone for her so she could answer it without disturbing her sleeping child.

"Thank you….Hello?"

"Shannon. It's me sweetheart." She felt her heart constrict at the sound of her husband's voice. They hadn't been gone for long, and if he was ringing now then surely….

"Gibbs. Please, tell me you found him alive, safe and well."

"We've got him. Alive and safe, but well? We're at Bethesda now. We just arrived."

"Oh God. Did he hurt our son? Gibbs! Did he hurt Tim?" She heard Gibbs sigh at the other end of the phone and wished she was there with him. "I'm going to come to the hospital. I'm okay to drive and want to be with Tim."

"Okay. Look, the Doc's haven't checked him out yet, but he's got a gash on the side of his head and is in shock. We'll know more by the time you get here. Duck still there?"

"I'll pass you over…" She paused briefly and looked around the room. "Do you want me to bring anything with me? He's going to need comfortable jammies, but what about…"

"Honey, just bring him something warm okay. Oh, and maybe his pillow he likes so much. You know the one."

Shannon smiled when she remembered seeing the pillow when she was out and about. It wasn't long after Tim had been to work with his father, so as a treat, she bought it and had the NCIS logo stitched on to it for Tim's bedroom. "Yeah. He'll like that."

"Okay, you go and get everything together and put Duck on." Shannon said her goodbyes and passed the phone to Ducky. Their old friend took it with a smile.

"Jethro. How is Tim?"

"Don't know yet, Duck. Will you be able to stay with Kelly? I don't want her here just yet. Not until we have Tim more settled."

"Shock." Ducky asked gently and when his friend confirmed it he knew that the young man would be a guest at Bethesda over night. "Ahh. Poor little fellow. He's been through the mill tonight. What about physical injuries. What are the obvious?"

"He's got a cut on his head and they suspect a concussion but apart from that it's all cuts and bruises."

"Okay. Well, at least there isn't anything too bad by way of injuries. Jethro, just watch him for any emotional trauma because no doubt the lad hasn't come away scott free given his past history with Callum McGee."

"I know. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it…Duck, I gotta go because the Doctors just gone in to Tim."

"Okay, my friend. Keep me informed and should you and Shannon wish to stay with Tim, then I shall stay here with Kelly." Ducky waited for Gibbs to say his goodbyes and hung up the phone. He turned to see two sleepy eyes looking up at him. "Ahh, Miss Kelly. How are you doing my little darling."

"Unca Duck? Where's Mommy and Daddy? Did they find Timmy. I miss Timmy." She said and started to cry gently. Ducky pulled her up into his arms and hugged her close.

"Daddy is at the hospital with Tim and your Mom will be following shortly. I'm afraid you're stuck with me for the night, my dear, so the question is, what shall we do?"

"Timmy's okay? Why's he at the hospital?" Kelly asked innocently.

"Timothy is fine. He just need to rest overnight and then he'll be home. Now, he will need a few things, so how about we go and find your mother and help her get a bag together. I'm sure there's something you would like to put in for your brother."

Kelly's eyes brightened slightly and she hopped off the bed and ran to her bedroom. Ducky shook his head and grinned knowing that no matter what life threw at that boy now, he had the family he deserved behind him to help see him through.

***NCIS***

Gibbs sat there watching Tim sleep and felt his heart pang at the pain and emotional turmoil that his boy had just been put through. The poor little tyke's headache had spiked to a nominal level, which left him sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. Test had shown that his concussion was mild, and so the doctor had decided to sedate him lightly so at least Tim could sleep.

"Hey." Shannon whispered as she stepped into the room in the ER that housed her men. "How's he doing?"

"Hey Honey. They've sedated him for now so he can sleep. He got that worked up, that he gave himself a migraine. Add that to a mild concussion and the minor scrapes and bruises he's got, and you have one cranky little seven year old."

"Cranky?" Shannon asked gently and walked over to inspect the small bandage that covered the side of Tim's forehead. "Really?"

"For, Tim…yeah. For a normal kid? Not so much." Gibbs replied and huffed out a laugh. "He's a fighter, Shan. But I think he reached breaking point tonight. That bastard had him and hurt him again. To top it off, he saw his old man shooting a bullet through a man's brain. He's entitled to be a little bit emotional."

"He saw…his old man? Gibbs, he didn't…."

"Me! Shannon. Me! I shot Callum McGee right here." He pointed a finger in between his eyes and shook his head. "He saw that. I've given him something else to have damn nightmares about now."

"How could you? Why?"

"Honey, McGee had his gun to Tim's head. He was about to shoot out boy and there was no way I was letting that happen."

Shannon softened slightly and nodded her head. "I get that. I really do, but what if you'd hit him, Gibbs. What if you'd shot Tim?"

The shakiness in her voice wasn't lost on Gibbs and he felt his heart drop like a stone. That handn't even been an option, and the fact that he could have shot Tim didn't even go through is mind.

"I didn't."

"But you could have."

"Shannon." Gibbs sighed heavily. "You know I wouldn't have hit Tim. I can shoot a target in high wind from 20 feet away. Close range, in a room on a ship? Come on."

With a small sigh, she perched on the side of the bed and cupped her son's small face. "He looks so vulnerable." She muttered and tucked his hair behind his ear. With a small sigh, she turned to her husband. "Sorry. I know…it's just…sorry."

"I am too. I just wanted him back and did the only thing I could think of to get him. Honey…"

"You need to take him to get his hair cut again." She cut in. "We shouldn't be doing this, so let's just concentrate on Tim."

Gibbs pulled his wife to his chest and hugged her close. Together, they sat there watching the slow rise and fall of Tim's chest as the little boy breathed easily in his sleep.

"He'll be okay, Shannon. He will."

"I know. He's free now and we can finally be a family." She relaxed in his arms and picked up the small hand that didn't have an IV in it. "He's a Gibbs now, and there's nothing standing in his way."

"Yes he is." Gibbs agreed and pulled her away from the bed, so that they could sit side by side on the small couch that sat under the window in Tim's room. Gibbs sighed as he gazed upon the small figure and knew, that no matter what came along in the future, they would deal with it as a family, and Tim would finally get, the life that he truly deserved. Shannon jumped up suddenly when she remembered something and rummaged around in her bag until she found the small bear that Kelly still hugged closely to her at night. She stood up and tucked the bear under Tim's arm before sitting down and cuddling up to Gibbs so that they could both watch their son peacefully sleeping together.


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

Seven months later….

"Unca Mike! Where's Mommy? The baby here yet?"

Mike turned at the two excited voices and grinned when he was nearly mown down by the two little whirlwind he knew and loved as Kelly and Tim. "Hey there, squirts. Hey! Watch it! I'm gettin' old now so I can't keep up with you two." He looked at Ducky and smiled when the M.E. sat down in one of the chairs.

"Any news, Michael?"

"Not yet, Duck. Soon I hope because i've been waiting long enough for this baby."

"Baby…baby…baby…" They chanted and giggled when Mike growled and grabbed them both around the waist so he could tickle their tummies with his hand.

"She's not here yet, So you'll have to wait a little bit longer." Mike had driven his Probie the hospital four hours ago when they'd received the call bang smack in the middle of a crime scene telling them that Shannon's water had broken. She'd been lucky and the pregnancy had gone perfectly apart from the general aches and pains that came from carrying a child. It was helped along by the excitement that Tim and Kelly felt for their new sibling and she had often sat on the couch listening to either one or both of them chatting away happily to her bump.

"No you won't." Gibbs said as he walked out grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I rang Duck and asked him to bring them half hour after Sarah was born. He didn't tell them because I wanted it to be a surprise, but I heard the rug rats shouting from in there." He nodded sharply to a room behind him.

"Daddy!" Both kids ran over to their father and into his open arms. He had crouched down and was now holding them both tightly to his chest.

"So, you two ready to see your new sister?" He asked and grinned when they both looked at him expectantly. "Okay then. She's been cleaned up, and your mom is dying to see you both. Just be careful and quiet, okay? Hey Mike. Wanna come see the newest member of the Gibbs clan?"

"Hell yeah. I've been waiting here for 4 hours Probie. You bet I wanna see that little girl."

"Been waiting 9 months already." Tim supplied, causing everyone to look at him with shock before bursting out laughing. "What?" The young boy asked. "That's what Daddy said last night."

"Probie, you been teaching that boy some bad habits." Mike huffed out around a chuckle.

"Nope. He's just stating his point… Attaboy, Tim." He ruffled Tim's freshly cut hair and grinned at him before sweeping him up and twirling him round. Tim squealed with glee before being set back down on the floor. "Okay, Kelly…what're you doing there. Get over here so I can talk to you."

Kelly bounded over and took Gibbs hand. "Right you two. Listen up. Mom's tired and Sarah's sleeping, so I want you both to be on your best behavior. No shouting, no running around and no bugging Mom until she's home."

Both kids nodded and smiled sweetly at their father. They were good really, but two seven year olds usually meant that the house was always filled with laughter and noise. Gibbs laughed at the angelic cherubs that stood there looking as though butter wouldn't melt, and held out his hands.

"Hey, Duck? You comin' too?" Gibbs asked his old friend and grinned when he stood up and walked over. Ducky placed a firm hand on Gibbs's shoulder and shook his head.

"I shall come by tomorrow Jethro. Unfortunately, I have to get back to see to mother. Poor dear, she's getting forgetful recently and I don't want to leave her alone for too long."

Gibbs hadn't realized that e was still holding out his hands for the kids and smiled when hey took them gently.

"Okay. Send Victoria our love and I'll swing by with these two tomorrow. I know they love her and get spoilt rotten."

Ducky laughed loudly and nodded. "Yes well. She always does like to remind me that I never gave her grandchildren and these two fit the bill perfectly. She would love that. Maybe after your visit, I can come and see Shannon and the new baby."

"Counting on it, Duck. I better get in there before Shan has my head. Thanks or taking care of em."

"Anytime." Ducky replied and patted Gibbs' cheek before turning and leaving the hospital. Gibbs nodded his head and gave his kids' hands a gentle squeeze to let them know they were ready, and guided them into the room where Shannon was nursing Sarah. When they walked in, She looked up and grinned at her family.

"Hey, Sweethearts. You two been good for Uncle Ducky?" She asked her two eldest children and watched with concern as they just nodded and sunk into Gibbs. "What's wrong?"

"Mommy, you look tired." Kelly said and Tim nodded fervently.

"Yup. Tired. You need to sleep?" He chimed in. Shannon shook her head and laughed heartily.

"No. Never when I have my three gorgeous children and your daddy around."

"Hey!" Gibbs said in a mock affronted tone and moved to sit down in the chair at the side of the bed. "I'm gorgeous too."

"Yes you are. Even more so for giving me the one thing I always wanted." At her husband's confused look, she chuckled. "A beautiful family…and yes Tim. That includes you."

Tim blushed furiously and moved so he could lean on the mattress. "She's small."

"Yes she is, Honey. It won't be long before she's bigger though. You all grow up too fast for my liking." Tim grinned and cocked his head slightly. "What is it, Honey?"

Tim glanced at the baby, before looking over at Kelly who had taken position on the other side of the bed and was mirroring him perfectly. "Um…can I…I wanna…"

"Tim." Gibbs sat forward and leaned on his elbows. "You alright Son?"

"Yeah." Tim nodded. "I just wanted to know if I can hold Sarah." The blush that had just gone down crept back in and he looked down at his hands where they were resting on the blanket. He looked up when Shannon chuckled.

"Of course you can. Gibbs, help the kids up on the bed will you? Stand behind them so that they can hold Sarah." Gibbs lifted both kids up onto the bed and stood behind Tim when Shannon gently passed the sleeping baby over and placed him in Tim's lap. "Okay, Tim move your arm so that you're supporting her head …That's it. You're a natural."

Kelly reached over and gently brushed her hand over the soft, brown curls on the baby's head. "Pretty hair."

"Lot of hair." Gibbs huffed out and laughed when Shannon frowned at him. "What? You know what caused that heartburn now."

"That's an old wives tale." Shannon gently berated him and smiled happily at her children. "So, what do you two think?"

"I love her!" Kelly said quietly, but never took her eyes off her new little sister. "She's my sister."

"Yes she is." Shannon agreed and turned to Tim. She was about to ask the same question, when she heard Tim's soft voice talking to Sarah. Tears welled up in her eyes at what he was saying and reached out to clasp at her husband's hand. With a sideway's glance, she noticed the same moistened glaze to his eyes and knew, that Tim had struck a chord with them all.

Tim sat there, oblivious to the world around him and the impact that his words were having on the people that he loved. He carried on though and as he looked at the peaceful, small form in his arms, he couldn't help the wave of love that he had for her.

"Hello Sarah Eve Gibbs. My names Timothy Gibbs, but you can call me Tim when you learn to talk. I'm your big brother…"


	13. Special Thanks

Hey guys. I just want to a very special thank you to everyone who followed this story, added to favorites and reviewed.

You really are the best.

Special thanks to:

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Big hugs to you all because you are all the best xx

**Special thanks go out to Smartkid37 and Tigyr for their invaluable help and patience. xx**


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